Updated, Dec. 13
Three individuals, after striking a telephone pole in a small SUV and crashing upside down into Sunset Lake in Oak Bluffs, were rescued by first responders late Thursday night.
One victim, whose identity has not been released, was pinned underneath the vehicle on the lake bottom, but police officers and firefighters were able to free him. Another was submerged underwater in the back of the car and also extricated by police.
All three passengers were taken to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, and one was airlifted to Boston in critical condition. Oak Bluffs Police Chief Jonathan Searle told The Times late Friday afternoon that she was in stable condition.
Searle said it took the heroics of first responders to make the rescue, noting that they waded through icy water and thick mud to pull the victims to safety.
“I can’t be prouder of the officers,” Searle said, adding that they jumped into the cold water in full uniform.
The incident took place shortly before midnight on Thursday. According to a statement from Oak Bluffs Police, an officer near Our Market heard the crash and responded to the scene, coming across a vehicle on its hood in the lake. As described in the statement, the officer alerted EMS and located a 31-year-old female on the shoreline and a 35-year-old male in the water. The male’s feet were trapped under the vehicle but he was able to breath. He told officers that his mother was unconscious in the back of the car, which was submerged underwater, the police statement reads.
Responding officers initially could not reach the unconscious female by the vehicle’s rear doors, the statement reads, but officers were eventually able to extricate the female through the rear tailgate.
Police say that she was brought to shore where the officers observed that she had no pulse and was not breathing. They began lifesaving measures including CPR until t Oak Bluffs EMS arrive.
Firefighters meanwhile, worked to extricate the man from under the car. Oak Bluffs Fire Chief Nelson Wirtz said that firefighters, using some ingenuity, used two-by-ten wooden planks laid on the bed of the lake to give a firm footing before using hydraulic tools to pry the vehicle up enough to be able to extricate the victim.
Police state that following the rescue attempt, the 31-year-old female was determined to be the operator and suffered minor injuries. The 35-year-old male passenger was treated for minor injuries as well; both remain hospitalized on the Island as of Friday afternoon, police said.
The 60-year-old woman, who is the mother of the operator and male passenger, was air lifted to Brigham and Women’s Hospital where she remains in critical but stable condition as of Friday afternoon, police state.
The operator and passengers were coming from an establishment in Edgartown to Tisbury in a 2023 BMW X5 M series SUV, the statement reads.
Police determined through an initial investigation that excessive speed and alcohol were contributing factors to the crash, and they anticipate that criminal charges will be filed against the operator.
In the statement, Oak Bluffs police thanked the Fire and EMS Departments and Massachusetts State Police for their support and assistance.
“Kudos to the professionalism of the Oak Bluffs Police Department and Fire Department. They did some really fast work to get these people out,” Wirtz said. “I can’t sing the praises of the police department enough.”
Chief Searle said that there will be some local awards coming for the officers involved, possibly awards coming from off-Island as well.
The incident is under investigation.