Woman saved after driving SUV into pond
By Gary Popp
Published in News on May 31, 2011 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/BOBBY WILLIAMS
Randy Rogers, left, and Brad Cushing of the Arr-Mac Water Rescue Team pull the driver of an SUV to safety after her vehicle crashed into a pond Monday afternoon at the intersection of Providence Church Road and U.S. 13 South.
The identity of a woman who was rescued by the Arr-Mac Water Dive Team after she drove her Isuzu Trooper into a pond at the intersection of Providence Church Road and U.S. 13 South early this morning was unavailable at press time.
State Highway Patrol Sgt. Jerry Burton said he was unable to identify the woman who was taken to Wayne Memorial Hospital after the accident. The information regarding the accident, which happened shortly after 2 a.m., was in the hands of the trooper who investigated the wreck and he was off duty, Burton said.
The woman was pulled from the water by members of the Arr-Mac team after she called 911 for help.
Thoroughfare Volunteer Fire Department Chief Delbert Edwards was first on the scene and talked to the woman through a 3- to 4-inch gap in her window.
"I was able to talk to her while standing on the bank. I was trying to determine the extent of her injuries and reassure her she was not in any danger of drowning," Edwards said. "She was very upset, naturally, when I arrived, but the more we spoke, the more she calmed down."
Two swimmers from Arr-Mac Water Response Team entered the water around 2:25 a.m., Edwards said.
Randy Rogers, chief of Arrington Volunteer Fire Department, was one of the swimmers.
"The rescue went smooth," Rogers said. "The patient was calm. When I made contact with her in the water she was fine,."
Rogers said the woman was not able to open the doors on her own because of the water pressure at a depth of four to five feet.
After the water pressure in the vehicle stabilized, Rogers said, the rescue swimmers were able to open the two front doors.