Two Rescued From Auto In Rain-Swollen Brook

By Andrew Gorosko

Firefighters extricated two people from a partially submerged sedan, where they were trapped after the auto abruptly went off Sugar Street and entered a rain-swollen brook near the police station, following a severe thunderstorm on Tuesday.

About two dozen emergency responders converged at the accident about 1 pm to rescue driver Albert Kopf, 81, and passenger Anne Kopf, 79, both of 174 Brushy Hill Road, from the 2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue.

Mr Kopf received cuts and Ms Kopf received an ankle injury, police said. Both were transported to Danbury Hospital by ambulance volunteers. Mr Kopf was treated and released. Ms Kopf was admitted as a patient and was in good condition on Wednesday afternoon, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The stream normally carries little water, but was running very high at the time due to an intense thunderstorm that had struck the area about a half hour earlier. The stream, which is known as Country Club Brook, is a tributary of Deep Brook.

Police said Mr Kopf was driving the Oldsmobile northward on Elm Drive about 12:53 pm, when, for an unknown reason, the vehicle continued moving past a stop sign at Elm Drive’s intersection with Sugar Street (Route 302).

The Oldsmobile then crossed Sugar Street and struck and knocked over a wooden guardpost along its northern side. The auto lurched outward across a gulley that was carrying heavy stormwater runoff, with its rear end landing in about two feet of water. Dense vegetation along steep slopes made access to the sedan difficult. The auto came to rest at The Pleasance, a privately owned park that is open to the public.

Hook & Ladder and Botsford firefighters went to the accident, as did members of Newtown Underwater Search and Rescue.

Firefighters used power tools to detach the auto’s roof, after which they lifted it off to provide access to the two people inside the Oldsmobile. Emergency workers initially removed Mr Kopf from the auto, after which they removed Ms Kopf.

The rescuers, who wore life vests as they worked in and around the rushing water of the brook, surrounded the car on the steep, densely grown slope while working to extricate the two trapped people.

Firefighter Ray Corbo of Newtown Hook & Ladder served as incident commander. The extrication was complicated by the vehicle’s unusual location, he said.

Also, the accident came at a busy time for firefighters, following a severe storm that had just passed through the area. The storm resulted in a series of fire calls, including three structure fires.

The accident is under investigation.