The Tecumseh man who rescued a woman from a vehicle filling with water is speaking out about his harrowing experience and his concern about the Manning Road ditch where it happened.

Scott Mahler has been hailed a hero for his actions last Thursday, but now he's speaking up in hopes of never having to do it again. The vehicle was flipped on its side after going into the ditch near Manning Road and Riverside Drive around 1:30 a.m. Oct. 10.

“My daughter’s room is right there and she saw it and came in to wake us up,” says Mahler. "I grabbed the woman as she passed out possibly from shock and held her there barely until the first officer came and we both pulled her out to safety."

Emergency crews arrived at the scene and the woman was taken to hospital.

Mahler isn't interested in the accolades, he just wants changes to keep this from happening again.

"What we're worried about is what's it going to take to get this ditch filled in," says Mahler.

Mahler and other residents are concerned over the safety of this ditch on Manning Road, south of Riverside Drive, while it's being developed.

Tecumseh mayor Gary McNamara says the Lakewood Park reconstruction mega project is the cause of congestion on the north end of Manning.

“Obviously we'd love to complete it in the next year or two but it comes down to dollars and cents," says Tecumseh mayor Gary McNamara.

Officials say phase work to divert and fill in the ditch is at a standstill until more government funds are secured.

"It's like anything else. The Canada builds, those programs are, I don't like to use the term lottery, but it is a lottery," says McNamara.

A new Central Park-like neighbourhood is the big vision, with blue prints for new streams and pathways linking new residential dwellings.

"It will be like a brook leading into small lakes and then that will lead to the pumping station," says McNamara.

McNamara says there is no set date for completion of the Lakewood project, saying such a major re-development takes years to complete and can only be properly done through phases.

Mahler says the people who live in the area know how to handle it, but it’s an issue with those who don't live there.

Despite the eventual perks of the project, Mahler remains concerned.

"I understand the construction and we understand that, but we're concerned about this in the future with this not being filled in," says Mahler.

Windsor Regional Hospital officials confirm the victim of last week's crash suffered only minor injuries and is out of patient care.