Floating food truck tips over in Turkey Point

A plan to feed partiers at Pottahawk Point almost ended at the dock. CTV’s Karis Mapp reports.

A floating food truck took an unexpected turn while being launched in Turkey Point.

The Big Rig Burgers truck was heading out to Pottahawk Point on Sunday afternoon to feed people at the annual boat party.

While launching into Lake Erie, the boat tipped on its side, temporarily closing the marina.

“We’ve never had this situation before,” explained Brad Thomson, the general manager of Macdonald Turkey Point Marina.

“We’ve had boats sinking and fires and whatnot, so staff had a good indication of always first and foremost making sure they’re safe, customer safety and also environmental safety.”

Thomson confirmed there were no injuries and the water was not contaminated.

“It’s basically the shell of a Peterbilt transport truck,” he said. “There was no oil leaking in the water. The engine actually was an outboard engine. It was a self-contained, plastic gas can and it was just simply removed.”

Thomas added the marina received a call from Transport Canada on Sunday evening to inquire about the mishap but no follow-up action was necessary.

With roughly 100 boats launching from the Turkey Point marina throughout the day, there was only a 15-minute wait for the food vessel to be recovered.

“We took it out in three separate pieces. That was the easiest way to inflict the least amount of damage that we could in the situation because it wasn’t like you could right it and pull it back up on the pontoon,” Thomson said.

He thanked staff and customers in the area who helped with the rescue mission.

“It goes to show that the public can come together in these situations to help each other, and I just thought it was amazing.”

The unique floating food truck made its first-ever launch last weekend successfully at Belwood Lake. Thomson said the truck will likely take some time to fix, but he’s grateful it flipped over right at the launch and not out in deep water.