WILLIMANTIC, Conn. — A group of good Samaritans is being hailed as heroes after officials said a Colchester woman's car ended up in the Willimantic River.
It happened Monday shortly after 6:30 p.m.
"The water’s fast, it’s high, it’s cold," said Willimantic Fire Chief Marc Scrivener.
The group of Good Samaritans was in the right place at the right time.
Chief Scrivener said the 66-year-old woman pulled into the parking lot on Bridge Street because her car engine was sputtering, but it quickly took a turn for the worst.
Her car knocked down a fence and headed straight into the river.
Within seconds, her car was 80% submerged in the water and she was screaming for help and luckily, it caught the attention of one Willimantic woman.
"I noticed that there was a part of a bumper near the fence and the bumper was like flopping on the ground," said Kristin DeGray of Willimantic.
DeGray said she looked down into the river, noticed the woman's head sticking out of the sunroof, and screamed for someone to call 911. DeGray knew fast action had to be taken before first responders arrived, so she ran inside the El Guanajuato restaurant.
"I just yelled out help, someone went into the river and the whole restaurant cleared out," added DeGray.
Within seconds, the owner of the restaurant ran down the deep slope while time was ticking.
"I just had a quick thought about how was the best way to salvage her but it was too fast, don’t even have time to think about it, when I see her, go right away. There was a big rock and I stepped on the rock and I couldn’t reach her so I had to go in the water," said Manuel Gonzalez, owner of El Guanajuato.
Also involved in the rescue was the owner of A Cupcake for Later. He just so happened to be eating at the restaurant and did not even think twice.
"It’s the right thing to do. I’m a 20-year fireman, you do what you got to do," said James Preston, owner of A Cupcake for Later.
Chief Scrivener said when firefighters were finally able to grab onto the woman, she showed signs of being exposed to the cold. She was transported to the hospital to be checked out.
"This time of year if you put your hand in the water, you might as well just pack up your stuff and go home because your muscles just start to cramp and you lose fine motor control," added Scrivener.
Carmen Chau is an anchor and reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at cchau@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
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