E-911 dispatchers hear doomed non-local motorist plead for help Friday night after driving off Saltillo boat ramp at end of Main Street

Rescue personnel at the scene in Saltillo.

UPDATE, FEB. 26 -- The Tennessee Highway Patrol has identified the driver as Scott Eugene Day Sr., 64, of Tennessee. The THP said he was operating a 2000 Ford Expedition that was traveling on Main Street and went into the Tennessee River. Day was wearing a seat belt.

(Ed. note: The original story has been edited to reflect the driver's age as 64 instead of 63 as first reported.)

ORIGINAL STORY -- A 64-year-old man died Friday night after driving his vehicle into the Tennessee River at the Saltillo boat ramp.

The Hardin County E-911 call log shows the man called 911 himself to plead for help before drowning.

The call came in at 9:50 p.m. and the 911 location system was able to accurately fix his location in the water at the end of the ramp, according to the call log.

The log shows that the man was able to speak for about 15 seconds, and the log comment says, “Caller was saying, ‘Help me I’m in the river,’ and then lost service.” Video at the ramp shows the vehicle entering the water at moderate speed.

The man’s identity has not yet been released by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, but it is known that he is not from the Hardin County area.

Hardin County Fire Chief Melvin Martin said Saturday morning he is saddened by what he described as a preventable death. He urged that a solution be found to prevent this type of tragic circumstance – which has happened several times previously – from repeating.

“This is very sad. This man died unnecessarily after apparently not knowing he was driving into the river – he was pleading for help when he called 911. This situation is heartbreaking not only for his family, but also for the 911 dispatchers and responders listening to his cries for help, but knowing there was nothing we could do,” Martin said.

He added, “I will be working with the city to come up with a way to block the direct road into the river, or this will only continue to happen. I know of five lives lost there since I have been county fire chief, all preventable.”

Main Street in Saltillo is a straight, roughly half-mile road that leads directly to the Saltillo Landing boat ramp at the Tennessee River. Historically, the straight roadway to the ramp was due to the ramp serving as a ferry landing. The ferry was retired years ago.

Several agencies responded to the incident, including the Hardin County Fire Department Dive Team, HCFD Haz-mat team, HCFD Saltillo (Dist. 1), HCFD Station 12, Saltillo Fire Department, the Hardin County Sheriff’s Department, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and Tennessee Highway Patrol.