It took emergency responders hours to pull a truck out of the Contoocook River Tuesday afternoon after a driver attempting to avoid a deer ran off the road.
Fire Chief Mike Roina said his crew responded to North Bennington Road in Bennington around 2:05 p.m., along with Antrim police and ambulance, and Hillsboro rescue personnel. When Roina arrived, the driver, Anthony Guadagno, 30, of Bennington, had exited the vehicle and made his way back onto the road.
“He had already been assisted by a passerby,” said Roina, during an interview at the scene as Mike’s Towing and Rescue worked to get Guadagno’s Ford F-550 out of the river. “He was shaken up a bit but wasn’t injured. He had someone pick him up to transport him to the hospital.”
Antrim police officer John Giffin said that Guadagno was driving south on the road, when he said he swerved to avoid a deer and rolled the truck into the river after the tires hit the soft dirt on the side of the road. Giffin said that drugs, alcohol or speed were not involved.
“I think that inexperience could have been a factor,” said Giffin. “It is a heavy truck.”
Mike Palmer, owner of Mike’s Towing, said that it was difficult to pull the truck out of the river, as the truck was upside down and had sunk into the riverbed. After trying for more than two hours to pull the truck out of the water, on-scene personnel worked to flip the truck back over onto its wheels, making for an easier extrication.
“I’ve lived on this road for seven years and never seen anything like this,” said Earl Morrill, who lives across the street from the river.
In addition to assisting Guadagno, personnel also installed an absorbent boom in the water to stop oil or fluid leaks from spreading into the river.
Nicholas Handy can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 235 or nhandy@ledgertranscript.com. He is also on Twitter @nhandyMLT.