By ASHLEY SAARI
Ledger-Transcript
A single patient was rescued from the Souhegan River after a vehicle left Route 31 South in Wilton on Friday morning, rolled over and landed in the water.
According to a press release from the Wilton Fire Department, fire, ambulance and police crews responded shortly before 7 a.m. to Route 31 South near King Brook Road for a single-vehicle crash into the river, with reports of a trapped occupant.
Wilton Interim Police Chief John Frechette said the driver, Mary Nyambura Ngaruiya, 39, of New Ipswich, left the road in her Toyota 4Runner.
The investigation is ongoing, but there are no current charges pending against Ngaruiya, according to Frechette.
Wilton Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Staiti was first on scene and located the vehicle, with significant damage, in the middle of the river with an occupant inside.
With assistance from the Greenville Fire Department, Wilton firefighters used water rescue suits to enter the river and assess the vehicle.
Two passersby had stopped before emergency services arrived. One was an EMT with Med-Star Ambulance Service of Leominster, Mass., and the other a firefighter with the New Ipswich Fire Department. Both were passing by chance.
When crews arrived, the two civilians were already assisting Ngaruiya, with one inside the passenger compartment with her and the other helping from outside the vehicle.
Wilton firefighters used a ladder to reach the vehicle with hydraulic rescue tools and helped remove the woman, who was then lifted 25 feet up the embankment to the road using a Stokes basket, a type of stretcher used in rescues from difficult environments.
The rescue took roughly 30 minutes, and no civilians or rescuers were injured. Ngaruiya was treated on scene by Wilton Ambulance but was not transported to a hospital.
Wilton and Greenville firefighters remained on scene while Northeast Towing Service of Wilton removed the vehicle from the river. Although no significant fluid leaks were detected, the Department of Environmental Services was notified.
