Driver Trapped in Sinking Car After Crashing Into Pond in Old Saybrook

A driver is in critical condition after crashing into a pond in Old Saybrook and remaining trapped underwater for about 20 minutes Friday afternoon, according to police.

Police were called to the area of 2 Custom Drive around 3:10 p.m. after a car veered off the road and into a pond. They arrived to find the vehicle underwater with the driver trapped inside, according to police.

A state police trooper rescued a passenger and brought the person to shore. Police and firefighters dove into the water to save the driver while a paving company tow truck was brought in to steady the car, police said.

Nineteen minutes after the start of the rescue, emergency crews managed to free the trapped driver. Both the driver and passenger were taken to Middlesex Medical Center, according to police.

The passenger remains hospitalized in stable condition. LifeStar transferred the driver to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where the driver is listed in critical condition, police said.

An Old Saybrook officer involved in the rescue was also hospitalized for treatment of minor hypothermia, according to police.

Authorities are still at the scene hours later investigating the cause of the crash.

Anyone with information is urged to call Old Saybrook police at 860-395-3142.

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