Friday November, 27 2009 @ 00:50:07 Nature: Water Rescue Priority Location: Masseys Landing Address: 36678 Long Neck Rd Millsboro, DE 19966 On Friday morning, November 27th at approximately 12:50 a.m., the Indian River Volunteer Fire Company was alerted for a water rescue incident involving a vehicle into the water at the Massey’s Landing Public Boat Ramp off Long Neck Road. It was identified that a vehicle was traveling down Long Neck Road and navigated the entrance into the public boat launching facilities and continued traveling east directly into the waters of Massey’s Ditch with minimal reduction of speed. Indian River’s Duty Officer - Jason M. Faulkner, Sr. responded to the incident location and determined that the incident report was accurate; however, a passing vessel was able to retrieve the occupant of the vehicle and the emergency response personnel were cancelled. Identified herewith is an additional story as reported in the News Journal of Tuesday, December 1st. http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20091201/NEWS/912010343/Rescue-just-like-in-the-movies December 1, 2009 Rescue 'just like in the movies' Fishermen pull woman out of her sinking car By ESTEBAN PARRA The News Journal Talk about a fish tale. "We caught five short stripers and a 90-pound girl," said 54-year-old Paul F. Powalski, who, along with his son, Paul M., rescued a motorist who drove into a stretch of water near Long Neck shortly before 1 a.m. Friday. The Millsboro man thought he was done fishing for the night and was preparing to load his 24-foot center console onto a trailer on Masseys Landing. But as his 24-year-old son backed the trailer, a Honda Civic sped by them and into the water. The men jumped into action, yanking the woman to safety before her car vanished into the dark waters. "It just looked like the Titanic," the elder Powalski said. "The car stood straight up, the pressure of the water blew the trunk open and the next thing you know, you see the headlights go down -- just like in the movies." The 24-year-old driver -- Jennifer Mullee of Philadelphia -- was taken to a hospital. It was not clear Monday if she would be cited. Mullee, who said she left the Sand Bar Tavern and was headed to her mother's house in the area, said Monday that she doesn't remember much. "It's kind of vague in my head," she said, adding she was grateful to the Powalskis. "I'm very thankful that they were out there fishing on that boat," she said. "Because if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be here. "There's no words that can thank these guys enough for what they did for me," she said, her voice choking. State Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control officials said Mullee was driving east on Long Neck Road when she entered the Masseys Landing Boat Ramp. She drove through the parking lot, onto the launching ramp and into Masseys Ditch -- a stretch of water between Rehoboth and Indian River bays. Sections of the ditch have strong currents and can reach depths of 15 feet. As of Monday afternoon, Chief William "Chip" McDaniel, DNREC's enforcement director, said the Civic had not been found. "There's a good chance the current took that car a pretty good ways," he said, adding that searchers used a water vessel, an aircraft and sonar in an attempt to locate the Civic. McDaniel credits the two men with saving Mullee's life. "Talk about being there when needed," McDaniel said. "I seriously think that if there hadn't been anybody around, she would have been in real trouble." A late night Having finished Thanksgiving dinner, Powalski and his son, who was visiting from Bristol, Pa., decided to go out for a night of fishing. "It's not uncommon for me to go fishing in the middle of the night," the elder Powalski said. "It's when you have an opportunity to catch a big one and there's less people in the water. "We were pretty much the only boat that night." That night, the rain had ceased and Powalski said he could see the moon and stars. The air temperature was a pleasant 55 degrees. "It was an absolutely gorgeous night out," he said. When they caught enough fish, the men decided to head home. Once ashore, the younger man got into their Dodge Ram pickup and backed the boat trailer onto the ramp. That's when both men saw headlights heading toward them. The Civic blew past the truck -- between the driver's side and poles along the ramp. "Two feet one way or the other, the car would have either hit the poles or hit my truck," said the elder Powalski, who was in the boat when the car went into the water. "Two feet either way, she'd have killed herself or killed my son." As the car hit the water, Powalski ducked to avoid the splash. "It made such a big splash that it was just a wall of water that come flying," he said. "I got soaking wet." Before Powalski could head to the sinking car, he heard his son yell out, "Get me on the boat. Get me on the boat." After picking up his son, Powalski said, a state trooper ran out to the edge of the water. The trooper, who had been parked in the lot doing paperwork, stayed on land, shouting instructions at Mullee, including to get out and to ask whether anyone else was in the Civic. The elder Powalski said he navigated the boat about 30 yards from the ramp, ending up floating over the Civic's sunken hood. As they got near the driver's-side window, Powalski could hear the officer shouting at Mullee to get out of the vehicle. "[She] kept saying how everything was in her car. She didn't want to leave the car," the younger Powalski said. After leaving the Sand Bar, Mullee said, she had a hard time finding her way. "[I'm] looking around, it's completely dark, so I thought I was on the road," she said. "I just happened to put my window down and then the car started filling with water." When she looked out of her new Civic, Mullee said, the water was up to the edge of her car window. That's when she heard men yelling, "Get out! Get out!" Mullee began panicking as she realized what was going on. Admitting it was not rational, Mullee said, she searched for her purse. "It might sound crazy, but anything else that I had left was in there," she said. "All my money, everything I needed." Mullee, who was back in Philadelphia on Monday, said she came to her senses and realized she needed to get out. The woman balanced her petite body on the Civic door, leaving only her right leg in the car. "I went to reach for her arm," said the younger Powalski, who is 6 feet tall and weighs about 270 pounds. "Luckily she put her arm out and I kind of drug her out of the car." As he pulled her in, his father grabbed her feet and together they brought her into the boat. "It's amazing how your body kind of goes into survival mode," the younger man said. "You don't think, you react." The younger man had time to take a quick glance inside the car before securing Mullee, who was crying and clinging on to him. Attempting to calm her down, the younger Powalski said he asked her for her name. "Jen," she said. Police, wildlife agents and firefighters waited for them on shore. The younger Powalski said his body "pumps up" with adrenaline every time he thinks about what happened. "It's one of them unreal moments." While both men said they had never seen something like this before, the elder Powalski said this is one tale he probably won't talk about much. "Actually, we'd just as soon brush this under the rug and move along," he said. "It's over and done with. God gets all the glory in this whole deal. It was just providential orchestration that we happened to be there."