CHESTERVILLE – A Fayette man and his minivan ended up in Norcross Pond early Tuesday after he attempted to stop at a stop sign too late. Instead of stopping, his van slid on some loose gravel onto a boat ramp and into the water.
William Dennis, who was heading to work on Norcross Hill Road, apparently didn’t see the stop sign at first at the T-type intersection at Ridge Road, said Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy Ken Charles on Tuesday.
He applied the brakes and slid on the dirt. About a third of the front of the minivan ended up partially submerged in the pond, Charles said.
Dennis wasn’t able to get out of the driver’s door. After he crawled over to the passenger door and got out of the vehicle, he was in waist-deep water as he walked 15 to 20 feet to shore, Charles said.
Dennis, who was not hurt, then walked up Norcross Hill to the closest house to call for help, the deputy said.
When the Allie Bond towing service arrived, a hook was attached to the bumper of the van to pull it out.
However, the hook flipped off the bumper and the van slid under water, Charles said.
“The whole thing was in the pond,” he said.
The pond is shallow for a ways but then it drops off quick, he said.
Mike Lilley, a diver on the Wilton Fire Department along with a small crew of Wilton firefighters, responded to the scene.
Lilley dove under water and hooked up the van so it could be winched to shore, Charles said.
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