Man’s vehicle rolls over him at boat ramp, then sinks into Dan River, NC police say

A North Carolina man had to be hospitalized over the weekend after a series of mishaps ended with him being run over by his vehicle — just before it sank into the Dan River.

The identity of the man has not been released, but he is expected to survive, according to the Eden Police Department.

It happened Sunday, June 12, in Eden, about 80 miles northwest of Durham near the Virginia state line, police said in a news release.

“Officers ... were dispatched to the Draper Landing in reference to a vehicle in the river,” police said. “Once on scene officers found that a Rockingham County man was attempting to unload a kayak when a mechanical issue with his vehicle caused the vehicle to roll.”

The vehicle traveled in reverse “over him and into the river,” police said. Photos show the Jeep SUV was submerged up to its roof when rescuers arrived.

“The man was transported to a local medical facility where he is said to have non-life-threatening injuries,” police said.

A relative of the victim reported on Facebook that he suffered “a lot of broken ribs.”

Part of the popular boat landing was damaged during the incident, resulting in a metal staircase leading down to the river being closed for repairs, police said.

This story was originally published June 13, 2022 at 8:08 AM with the headline "Man’s vehicle rolls over him at boat ramp, then sinks into Dan River, NC police say."