By Robert Jordan
Daily Record of Dunn
DUNN – A vehicle crash in a Dunn neighborhood resulted in a sedan pushed from the lane of travel into the swimming pool of a local bed and breakfast.
Dunn Emergency Services firefighters, rescue technicians and paramedics were dispatched to the intersection of Layton Avenue and Pearsall Street at 3:40 p.m. on Nov. 11 in reference to a motor vehicle crash.
Responders arrived on the scene one minute later to find a car submerged in the swimming pool at Simply Divine Bed and Breakfast. The driver was still inside the car. The man, who drove the truck that crashed into her, was working to free her. The man was successful in getting the 83-year-old woman out of the water. Personnel took over rescue efforts and were able to quickly get the man out of the pool.
“The car did not initially go into the pool,” said Rodney Eason, deputy chief of Dunn Emergency Services. “While our personnel were responding, two people were sitting on the trunk lid of the Buick as it teetered on the edge. The woman wanted to get her purse out of the car even though others at the scene encouraged her to wait for the fire department to assist. When she entered the car to retrieve her purse, the car slid into the pool.
“The man driving the truck that struck her vehicle dove in to save her. When our units arrived, the gentleman had already gotten the lady out of the water. We assisted him in getting out of the pool.
“All things considered, a potential catastrophe was averted by the man’s quick thinking.”
Dunn police investigated the crash and determined the senior citizen was traveling west on Pearsall Street in a 2003 Buick sedan when the man driving a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado south on Layton Avenue failed to yield right-of-way at the stop sign and collided with the Buick. The Buick then went through the fence surrounding the pool, struck a concrete table and bench, then came to a stop on the edge of the swimming pool.
The woman was transported to the hospital by EMS where she was treated and released.
