A Watson Lake man is lucky to be alive after his car went off the Alaska Highway at the Lewes Bridge near Marsh Lake on Monday evening, careening into the Yukon River.

The 64-year-old man was able to swim to shore, where he was helped by another driver who had been following behind.

Yukon Emergency Services arrived on the scene shortly afterward and brought him to Whitehorse General Hospital with undisclosed injuries.

Whitehorse RCMP have not released his name. The hospital will not provide information about a patient’s condition (with his or her consent) unless a media inquiry includes the patient’s name.

“The fact he was able get out is an accomplishment in itself,” RCMP Cpl. Natasha Dunmall said this morning.

It’s the combination of the driver being able to escape from his car, swim to shore, and stay inside a warm vehicle until emergency services personnel arrived that contributed to his survival.

“Had one of those things gone wrong, we would be having a completely different conversation,” said Dunmall.

The man was driving a Mazda 6, going south when he veered off the roadway into the Yukon River.

While the Good Samaritan following behind was parking, the Mazda driver was able to swim to shore.

RCMP haven’t been able to talk to the driver yet, but it’s believed weather conditions played a role in the accident.

At the time, 7:30 p.m., it was snowing, causing poor visibility, with snowflakes reflecting back vehicles’ headlights.

“He got disoriented in the driving conditions at the time and went off the road in the river,” explained Dunmall.

Police are reminding people to adjust their driving to the weather conditions, not necessarily to the road conditions.

Even a well-plowed road can be dangerous when poor visibility conditions reign, Dunmall noted.