McGregor Memorial EMS in the News
Driver Hurt in Durham Rollover Crash
In Fosters
Monday, November 23, 2009
DURHAM — A woman was injured in a rollover accident on Willey Road Sunday afternoon when the car she was driving went off the road and into a cluster of trees.
Jeff Carothers was mowing his back lawn at 8 Willey Road around 3:45 p.m. when he heard a "series of bumps and crashes" coming from his front lawn. When he went to investigate, he said he found a 2010 blue Toyota Camry had crashed through his wood pile, slammed into the side of a tree and rolled over into a wooded area near his home.
Police Sgt. Frank Daly said Mary Cushman, 68, of Durham was driving the vehicle and lost control going into a curve in the road.
Tire marks in the grass showed where the Camry went off the road, and some missing bark on a tree was evidence of the vehicle striking it before rolling onto its roof, Daly said.
Durham fire crews worked to free Cushman from the car, according to Fire Capt. David Emanuel.
He said she was pinned inside the vehicle, with her foot stuck under the dashboard. Firefighters were worried about the car's precarious position and used rescue struts to prop it up from the trunk, he said.
Firefighters also used extrication tools to cut away some of the brush and remove a car door, he said, adding that Cushman remained talkative throughout the process.
She was then taken to Portsmouth Regional Hospital by McGregor EMS, Daly said.
A tow truck from Smitty's Towing arrived and pulled the vehicle out from between the oak and maple trees while still on its roof. After getting the car into the open, the truck driver rolled it back onto its tires.
Daly said neither drugs nor alcohol were factors. Police continue to investigate whether speed was a factor.
