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Enfield ENFIELD FIRE DEPT

Date: March 2009
Rescued: Women from submerged automobile
Pilots & Rescue Team: Enfield Fire Dept Crew

Hovercraft Used To Pull Woman From River Car Launches Into River After Getting Stuck In Snow ~Eyewitness News, March 2, 2009

Eyewitness Video

ENFIELD, Conn. -- A woman was pulled from the Connecticut River in Enfield Monday morning after her car plunged in. Police said the woman, identified by emergency services as Kymberly Playdon, of East Windsor, got her car stuck in a snow bank at about 9:30 a.m. They said she began rocking the Hyundai back and forth in an attempt to free it from the snow.

Woman Plucked From Water By Crew On Hovercraft Enfield police said the car then launched over the snowbank and into the river in the area of Parsons Road. "All I saw was some tail lights and the crack from some branches down there, and I was very scared because the car was floating down the river," witness Thomas Hebert said. "I thought the car was going to sink and get submerged. It floated until it got stuck all the way on them branches."

Police said that when the vehicle plunged into the river, it was snagged by a branch, which could have saved Playdon's life. Playdon was in her car in the water for about a half hour before she was pulled to safety, police said. "She seemed, for the most part, like she was scared, but she was really rather calm over the whole situation," witness Andy Zander said. "She wasn't freaking out. She wasn't screaming." Police, fire and dive team crews converged on the scene, along with a hovercraft, to pull Playdon out of the Connecticut River.

Enfield Fire Chief Ed Richards saluted the work of the dive team, which fought strong currents. "The firefighter that went out to the car, he did a hell of a job," he said. "His first try, he got way below the car, but the second try, he was able to get to the back part of the bumper and was able to work his way up to the door."

Playdon was then put on a waiting hovercraft and taken to safety, with an ambulance transporting her to a local hospital. She is now listed in good condition at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass. "She's extremely fortunate," Richards said. "You always think there's an angel standing