GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Green Bay police say 74-year-old George Rank, the owner of Al's Hamburger Shop, died after crashing his van into the East River Friday.
Officials say Rank lost control of his van and died because of a medical condition.
Al’s Hamburger Shop, the iconic downtown Green Bay restaurant, opened in 1934.
Police say it happened near the intersection of Main and Roosevelt streets around 5 p.m.
Fire officials estimate Rank was underwater for around 15 minutes before rescue workers freed him.
His son, Steve Rank, thinks his dad accidentally hit the wrong pedal while parking his van at Karen’s Pub.
“We think his foot was swollen and that he might have hit the brake and the gas pedal,” Rank told FOX 11.
According to the Brown County Medical Examiner, George Rank did not drown and alcohol wasn't a factor. Green Bay police continue to investigate.
There are apartments above Karen’s Pub, and the accident damaged the exit stairs displacing at least five people.
(Additional reporting by FOX 11).