Mistakes at boat landings happen. It’s not at all uncommon to see an SUV or truck sitting in the water after a boat goes wrong. But police officers in South Carolina were stunned by finding a submerged semi-truck by the dock. 

South Carolina police find submerged semi-truck at boat landing 

A trucker might have felt plenty of shame after discovering that his rig doesn’t double as a boat. He quickly needed rescuing as his semi-truck was submerged under 14 feet of water near Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina. 

The trucking company contacted the police after one of their drivers was missing and failed to make contact. They tracked its location to near the boat landing on Osceola Avenue. 

A massive 2022 International Sleeper Cab was registered to the Kentucky-based commercial carrier with the driver inside. 

Police officers accused the suspect, identified as 39-year-old Major P. Duke from Pennsylvania, of dumping the truck on purpose. 

According to ABC News 4, the truck was safely removed from the water with help from the United States Coast Guard. They determined that there is no indication of environmental impact related to the incident. 

But Duke isn’t as lucky as the marine environment. He is charged with indecent exposure, dumping litter of over  500 lbs on private or public property, and malicious damage to personal property valued at $10,000 or more. 

Duke was taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries. He has since been released and is being held at the Al Cannon Detention Center. 

It’s unclear what his motive was, but he probably lost his job as a semi-truck driver, too. I would like to know if Duke was operating under the influence.