MANCHESTER, NH – Below is an incident report provided by Manchester Fire Battalion Chief Ken Proulx regarding a harrowing rescue that took place Sunday morning behind the La-Z-Boy retail store on South Willow Street.
According to Chief Proulx, the female driver could not tell rescuers how she ended up going over the embankment. Her car was not visible from the roadway.
“I am not sure exactly how the call came in – this is hearsay, but as I understand it the driver called someone to say she was in trouble and that person called police, who contacted us,” Proulx said of the incident. “We do know that she was down there for about an hour before we found out about it.”
Proulx explained that video surveillance from one of the businesses in that area recorded the vehicle going through the front La-Z-Boy parking lot at about 6:30 a.m.
“She was in pretty good shape considering she’d been down there over an hour and was able to stand up once we got her out of the vehicle. She went over the embankment from the front parking lot and her car remained on its wheels but rolled down the embankment and got caught on the underbrush and trees – which was fortunate for her. It actually likely stopped the car from going into the brook, which was flowing with quite a current,” Proulx said.
Due to the 30-foot drop and 75-degree angle of the embankment rescuers had to perform a two-rope technical rescue with a stokes basket. All rescue personnel had to be lowered down and hauled up using a winching system and ladder, as well as the victim.
“There was no walking down or up the hill,” Proulx said.
Incident Report
Incident Type: Technical low-angle rescue
Address: 1949 South Willow St.
Dispatch: 7:40 a.m.
Under Control: 8:46 a.m.
Resources: Engine 3, Rescue 1, ALS 3
Description of Incident: On February 4, 2024, at 7:40 a.m., Engine 3 was dispatched to 1949 South Willow St. for a car down an embankment. Engine 3 arrived and determined a vehicle had driven off the side of the parking lot and went down a steep embankment and was hung up on brush a few feet away from Cohas Brook that abuts the parking lot.
The operator of the vehicle was unaware of the circumstances that caused the accident and was complaining of lower extremity injuries. The vehicle was 30 feet down a 75-degree embankment resting on its wheels.
Rescue 1 was requested for their technical rescue equipment to safely remove the patient up the icy embankment. The crews from Rescue 1 and Engine 3 set up rope systems to lower equipment and personnel down to the vehicle to remove the patient.
The patient had been exposed to below-freezing temperatures for over an hour. It took crews 26 minutes to reach the patient, set up rope systems, rig a stokes basket up and remove her to an awaiting AMR ambulance.
The patient was transported to a hospital for further evaluation. The call was under control at 8:46 a.m. with all units picked up and cleared
Civilian Injuries: One individual, (operator of the vehicle) had minor injuries.
Emergency Service Injuries: None
Special Circumstances: Temperatures below freezing, ice and snow-covered embankment. Location of vehicle in the woods, 30 feet below parking lot.
Incident Commander: Captain Brett French
