The driver said he blacked out Saturday on the 24th Street Marine Terminal in National City (NYSE:NCC) and came to moments later underwater, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Sunday.

The driver, who was not identified, said he recalled an episode of a TV show he'd seen so he waited for the cab to fill with water before rolling down the window and swimming 13 feet to the surface, said National City Fire Department Capt. Sergio Mora.

The truck's fuel tanks, holding about 100 gallons of diesel fuel, appeared intact, Mora said, noting a barge and crane were summoned to lift the submerged rig and the three 2008 Volkswagens it carried.