A driver escaped a vehicle that plunged into the Detroit River near the Ecorse boat launch early yesterday, swimming free before the car sank in about 30 feet of water and drifted roughly 100 yards downstream. The driver, who was alone in the vehicle, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to an area hospital, while the circumstances that sent the car into the river remain under investigation.
The incident was reported around 3:18 a.m. near the Ecorse boat launch on West Jefferson Avenue, according to CBS News Detroit. Ecorse police and fire crews responded to the scene, and the driver escaped from the vehicle while it was still in the water, per the Ecorse Fire Department. First responders assisted the driver to shore before transport to the hospital.
Vehicle Drifted Downstream Before Sinking
The car did not stay put once it hit the water. It drifted about 100 yards south of the launch site before coming to rest in roughly 30 feet of water, the station's report states. That kind of movement is not unusual at the site: the Ecorse Boat Ramp at 4633 W. Jefferson Avenue is a 24-hour public launch facility on the lower Detroit River, offering direct public access to the waterway with about 50 parking spaces and an automated $10 fee kiosk, according to a Detroit River map of the area.
Recovering the submerged vehicle took a coordinated effort. The rescue and recovery operation included regional law enforcement, dive teams, marine officers, and other public safety partners, working alongside the Ecorse fire and police departments, per the same account. Emergency crews used flotation equipment to raise the vehicle from the riverbed, then towed it back to the boat launch, where it was pulled from the water at about 7:30 a.m.
Specialized Dive Teams Handle Detroit River Recoveries
Underwater vehicle recoveries like this one typically call for specialized regional resources. The Wayne County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit and Dive Team patrol 38 miles of international waterway along the Detroit River and deploy search grids, sonar, and inflatable lift bags during these operations, according to CBS News Detroit. Regional dive teams across Southeast Michigan also hold joint training exercises simulating deep-water recoveries in the river's currents, as reported by FOX 2 Detroit.
Water incidents along this stretch of West Jefferson Avenue are not new to the area. In March, Ecorse police and fire crews responded to John D. Dingell Park after a fisherman spotted a body in the Detroit River, an incident Hoodline covered in its story Body pulled from river. And in January 2024, emergency crews conducted a similar recovery effort after a vehicle plunged into the river at Wyandotte's Bishop Park along the same West Jefferson/Biddle Avenue corridor.
Investigation Into Cause Continues
Michigan Department of Natural Resources data has shown that drowning accounts for 79% of all boating and water-related fatalities in the state's waterways, underscoring the risks tied to any vehicle or vessel entering the Detroit River. In this case, Friday's driver avoided that outcome, but police have not said what caused the vehicle to leave the roadway and enter the water in the first place.
The circumstances surrounding how the car ended up in the river remain under investigation, with no additional details released on the cause of the crash. Ecorse has been investing in the boat launch site in recent years, having solicited bids in 2024 for a restoration and modernization project covering site work, sidewalks, and parking infrastructure at the West Jefferson Avenue location, according to a BidNet Direct posting.
