A car left the roadway on Fuller Street in Plainville and ended up submerged in Fuller Pond, but the driver managed to free themselves before crews arrived and was evaluated by emergency medical services at the scene. The cause of the crash remains unclear.
According to Boston 25 News, Plainville firefighters and police officers responded to a reported crash on Fuller Street after the vehicle left the road and landed in the pond. The station reported that the driver had already freed themselves from the vehicle by the time emergency crews arrived. Per the Fall River Reporter, the Metacomet Regional Dispatch Center sent responders to the scene at approximately 10:20 p.m. after receiving word of the accident.
Once on scene, Plainville Fire Department personnel worked alongside local towing companies to pull the submerged car out of Fuller Pond, the same outlet reported. The driver's ability to escape before rescuers arrived reflects a race against time that water-safety experts say is common in these kinds of accidents.
A Narrow Window to Escape
Vehicle submersions are unforgiving events. Water safety experts advocate what's known as the “SWOC” self-rescue sequence — Seatbelts off, Windows open, Out immediately, Children first — because drivers typically have less than 60 seconds to exit a sinking car before water pressure makes it impossible to open the doors, according to Kids and Car Safety. Power windows can fail after switches and motors are soaked.
Nationally, between 1,200 and 1,500 vehicles end up submerged in water each year, resulting in 400 to 600 drowning deaths, per data from Lifesaving Resources. That toll underscores why the driver's self-extrication in Plainville stands out as a successful outcome rather than a routine one.
This isn't the first time a Plainville motorist has escaped a submerged vehicle. In November 2021, emergency crews responded to a crash on Cooney Avenue where a car landed upside down in the Ten Mile River near Whiting Pond, and the lone occupant also self-extricated, according to the New Bedford Guide.
Environmental Notification Required Despite No Contamination
The crash happened in a surface water body, and the Department of Environmental Protection and the EPA were notified. Authorities confirmed the pond was not contaminated, Boston 25 News reported.
Fuller Pond sits within the headwaters zone of the Ten Mile River watershed, an ecologically sensitive area near Savage Pond, according to reporting from Local News From Wrentham To Rumford. The reporting also discusses water-table concerns in the area.
Some sudden spills and surface-water impacts may be subject to two-hour reporting requirements under the Massachusetts Contingency Plan. Mass.gov guidance also discusses minor passenger vehicle fuel spills and releases that enter or threaten surface water bodies.
A Busy Stretch for Plainville First Responders
The dispatch that sent crews to Fuller Street came through the Metacomet Regional Dispatch Center, which serves as the combined 911 emergency communications hub for Plainville, Norfolk, Wrentham, and Franklin, according to town documentation from the Town of Franklin.
The crash adds to a string of dramatic vehicle rescues that have tested Plainville's emergency crews this year. In May, off-duty firefighters and emergency crews responded to a rollover crash on Interstate 495 in which an electric vehicle caught fire before rescuers broke the windshield to free the trapped occupants, as Hoodline previously reported. No further details on what caused the crash into Fuller Pond have been released.
