NORTH STONINGTON – I-95 has reopened in both directions after a heavy-duty wrecker crash and resulting fire.
The wrecker was responding to a previous accident involving a bus driving off the highway in Groton and was clearing that scene, traveling north on I-95.
It blew a tire and veered off the road, hitting a bridge parapet above Route 2 in North Stonington, then a rope wire guard rail, going down an embankment, hitting a tree and catching fire.
Several Good Samaritans driving by stopped to assist prior to first-responders arriving on scene. They rushed down the embankment and pulled the driver, John Martins, 52, of Pawtucket, R.I., from the burning truck, which was now fully engulfed. One Good Samaritan with a medical background rendered first-aid to the injured driver.
LifeStar responded to the scene to transport the driver to Rhode Island Hospital, where he is listed in critical condition.
The road was closed in both directions between exits 92 and 93 for hours.
“The State Police would like to thank the following Good Samaritans for the bravery and courage they exhibited today in saving the driver’s life… Craig Johnson of New London, Leticia Orozco of East Lyme, Gerard Richardson of New Jersey, Sherry Balcher of Westbrook, Matthew Easton of New Jersey, Jamie Thomas of Colorado, and Abernathy Brown of New Jersey,” state police said in a statement released Friday evening.
