NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- An elderly woman crashed her car into the Woonasquatucket River on Wednesday, and then clung to a tree branch until she could be plucked by rescuers, authorities said.
Seventy-seven-year-old Lillian Priest struck a van on Adams Street, went through a guard rail, and plunged into the river. The woman pulled herself from the car, clung to the branch protruding from the current and yelled for help. Priest said she noticed her brakes had failed, turned onto a side street, and turned off the car's ignition before being dumped into the Woonasquatucket.
``Actually, I was thinking, 'How am I going to get out of here?''' Priest told local television stations. ``I didn't want to drown in the river. So, I just unfastended the seat belt, rolled the window down, and climbed out.''
Priest was taken to an area hospital, and was released hours later. She suffered no major injuries, authorities said.
``I don't think it was luck, I think a lot of skill was involved,'' said North Providence Fire Chief Steven Catanzaro. ``She literally opened the window as she was floating down the river, jumped out, and, you know, grabbed on to a stump and started yelling for help.''
