MOTHER, TWO CHILDREN CRITICALLY
INJURED IN TUESDAY NIGHT ACCIDENT

A woman driving an SUV ends up in a pond on Gladden Drive Tuesday night. The woman and her two small children are arilifted to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte with critical, life-threatening injuries.
Photo by Jon Mayhew/The Carolina Scoop.

By Jon Mayhew

NORTH LINCOLN -- A mother and two children, aged 2 and 5, are rescued from their overturned vehicle in five feet of water Tuesday night. The incident happened around 8:40 p.m. on Gladden Drive, off Springs East Road and Maiden Highway.

Now, the mother and two kids are clinging for life as authorities are investigating the accident.

Originally, authorities said the two children didn't hae a pulse. However, while authorities pulled the car out of the water, word came the two children were revived by medics while en route to the hospital. All three were airlifted from Carolinas Medical Center - Lincoln to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte.

In exclusive video on The Carolina Scoop, Lincoln emergency management director Susan Spake spoke about the incident and how emergency workers are dealing with the situation.

"We've activated our Lincoln County chaplain services," said Spake. "There's at least five chaplains at Carolinas Medical Center - Lincoln to talk with emergency workers and the family."

According to North 321 Volunteer Fire Department chief Ronnie Williams, firefighters used the jaws of life -- also known as the Hearst Tool -- to get to the mother and the two children.

"We had one firefighter injured," said Williams. "He suffered a cut on the nose." Williams added the firefighter is expected to be OK. Another firefighter became sick while treating the victims and a Linclon County medic suffered minor injuries.

Williams said more than 25 firefighters responded to the scene and a total of more than 60 emergency management workers also responded.

Emergency service workers removed the vehicle from the pond after extricating the victims from the vehicle.
Photo by Jon Mayhew/The Carolina Scoop

Neighbors told The Carolina Scoop they heard tires squealing and the subsequent splash into the water.

While one neighbor called 911, another neighbor ran into the water. He said the father of the two children was in the water, screaming for help.

"We couldn't get to the mother or the two children," said the neighbor. "Firefighters were able to get them out."

The names of the woman or children weren't released as of late Tuesday night because the incident remained under investigation by the North Carolina Highway Patrol. Trooper C. Kasey was investigating the accident.

Donna Beal is a resident of Gladden Drive watched as authorities worked to pull the vehicle from the water.

She said something needs to be done to keep vehicles from getting into the pond.

"There's got to be some kind of guardrail or something," said Beal.

Off-duty Lincolnton Police officer R. Harrington was sitting at home when he heard sirens. He came to the scene to see if he could help.

"When I got here, they were loading the third victim into the ambulance," said Harrington. "It was bad."

Agencies responding were the North 321 Volunteer Fire Department; East Lincoln Fire Department's water rescue truck; Lincolnton Life Saving Crew; Lincoln County EMS; Lincoln County Emergency Management; the North Carolina Highway Patrol; and the Lincoln County Fire Marshal's Office.