EFFINGHAM COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) — An Effingham County man was taken to the hospital on Sunday after his truck ended up in Lake Sara.

Around 2 p.m., Effingham Area Dive Rescue Team Commander Terry Trueblood said the team responded near the south side of the lake after someone reported that a vehicle was in the water and a man was inside.

The dive team was nearby for a lake training and arrived within about two minutes of the call, Trueblood said.

When emergency crews arrived, they were told that a bystander had jumped into action, shattered the truck’s windows, pulled the man out and called 911.

“What could have been absolute tragedy turned into the best of circumstances,” Trueblood added.

The man was taken to a nearby hospital.

After investigating, the first responders learned that the driver missed the steep curve along the road and kept going straight into the woods, hitting trees along the way. He veered south, went down an embankment, hit the dock and then side swiped a tree right before hitting the water.

Tripower Towing and Recovery pulled the pickup out of the water before it was completely submerged. The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office and the Shumway Fire Department also responded to the scene.