PITTSBURGH -
A prison van from SCI Pittsburgh plunged into the Ohio River early Wednesday, and state police are investigating to figure out why it happened.
SLIDESHOW: Photos of crash scene and van
Channel 4 Action News' Janelle Hall reported that the corrections officer was driving on Doerr Street, alongside the prison in the city's Marshall-Shadeland area, when he crashed through three wooden barriers and went down a hillside and into the water around 5:20 a.m.
The van sunk completely, but EMS district chief and River Rescue paramedic Richard Linn Jr. told Hall that the driver escaped by punching or kicking a hole in the windshield.
"He was out here, sitting up here on the curb, when paramedics arrived here to treat him," Linn said.
The driver was taken to Allegheny General Hospital with what police described as minor injuries. There were no prisoners in the van when it crashed.
"When the water pressure increases on the outside of the vehicle, it tends to hold the doors closed, so the only way is to wait until it goes under water, and the water fills inside the vehicle to equalize the water pressure, and you can open up the windows or the doors, or you can punch out the windshield like he did," Linn said.
Trooper Robin Mungo said police won't discuss any details during the investigation.
Video>Pittsburgh state prison van drives into Ohio River


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