SUFFOLK, Va. — Suffolk Fire Department Battalion Chief Demitri Wilson and Fire Chief Michael Barakey are happy to open up the department’s fire trucks to show off the rescue equipment firefighters have at their disposal.
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Driver rescued after falling asleep & veering off MMMBT into the water
The department needed these tools to respond to a car veering of the Monitor Merrimac Memorial Bridge Tunnel and into the water below on Tuesday morning.
“This is an all-encompassing response," Wilson said. "It takes our technical rescue team, water rescue assets, our MIRT [Marine Incident Response Team]. We all just come together to mitigate this type of incident."
Pictures provided by the department show first responders working to rescue the person in the car.
According to Virginia State Police, the crash was the result of drowsy driving.
The overturned car was the only car that crashed, and only one person was in the car. Thankfully, they survived.
“The car itself was flipped over down a steep embankment in the water, so you can see how dynamic and how complex this type of incident is," said Wilson.
According to the CDC, in a survey one in 25 adult drivers reported having fallen asleep while driving in the 30 days prior to the survey.
Additionally, the CDC estimates more than 6,000 fatal crashes each year may involve drowsy driving.
“The initial dispatch for an overturned vehicle in the water had Newport News Fire southbound and Suffolk Fire Rescue northbound," Barakey explained.
Barakey said the response to Tuesday’s crash was a great example of local, state and federal resources coming together.
Along with the fire departments, VDOT, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, the port authority, Virginia Marine Resource Commission and the U.S. Coast Guard responded to the overturned vehicle.
Multiple bystanders also stopped to help.
“It starts locally with our local fire department training every day," Barakey said. "So like Chief Wilson said, we train every day, but then we have regional training. We have the best resources in the world, we have the best firefighters and paramedics in the world, talking about the region.”
When asked about bystanders jumping in to help in a situation like this, Barakey said the bystanders did a fantastic job and he appreciates their help.
"As a whole, though, when it comes down to making rescues it depends on the skill set of that individual, and we depend upon the citizens to help us on actual location," Barakey said.
According to the fire department, the person rescued from the car was taken to the hospital for treatment for serious injuries, but as of Tuesday evening, their exact condition is unknown.
