Montreal-area man whose car fell from ferry into river with him inside speaks out

A Laval, Que. man is speaking out after his Tesla fell off a ferry and into a river while he was still inside the vehicle.

A Montreal-area resident is speaking out after his Tesla plunged into a river after falling off a ferry while he was still inside the vehicle earlier this month.

Michael DeMarinis escaped the ordeal without any serious injuries, but says had he not been a good swimmer, the swift current could have swept him away and the outcome would have been much worse.

The 67-year-old man is also seeking answers as to what exactly went wrong.

“Perhaps for me the scariest part was when I was still in the car because I was afraid the ferry would come into me,” he told CTV News.

DeMarinis was on the Paule II cable ferry heading to Laval from Île Bizard on July 16 when, for reasons that are still unclear, the mooring line from the ferry became loose, creating a gap that caused his car to fall into the Rivière des Prairies. He jumped out of the car and tried to swim back to the ferry but was unsuccessful.

His Tesla was a total loss.

DeMarinis said he felt that the ferry staff were not prepared to handle the emergency. “Throw a lifesaving jacket. That’s all you need,” he said.

An employee tried to throw a cable toward him but it didn’t reach him as the current carried him away. An employee also jumped into the water to get a raft and swim toward him but he, too, was unsuccessful.

He eventually swam to shore on his own and received medical care from paramedics who were already waiting for him on scene.

“You’re dealing with rough waters, a heavy current. The last thing you want is to have a person in those waters without any safety around it. That’s the most important thing,” he said.

The ferry operator did not respond to a request for comment on Friday.

DeMarinis, a former lifeguard, said his quick-thinking and swimming skills saved his life.

“Had it been anyone else, I don’t think they would have had a chance,” he said.

After returning to the scene days later, he said the operator didn’t offer an apology. He has since participated in an interview with the federal Transportation Safety Board, which is still conducting an investigation.

“Hopefully, they’ll get some safety measures in place the way they’re supposed to be done,” he said.

With files from CTV News’ Stephane Giroux