Greiggs woman lucky to escape fiery accident

Faustina Lewis had already made up her mind that she was dead, but today she is grateful to be alive after her close brush with death.{{more}}

The Greggs resident’s Toyota Harrier Sport Utility Vehicle (P 7537) crashed into the retaining wall at Casson Hill and burst into flames, on Monday, April 18, just around 10am, while the woman was on her way to Kingstown.

Lewis, an employee of the Youth Affairs Department, said that she does not think that she would have been alive had it not been for the heroic acts of another commuter who came to her rescue.

She said that the drama began to unfold just after she had taken gas at the Texaco gas station in Arnos Vale and was making her way to town.

“I drove all the way up and as soon as I reached the corner coming up, there is a little bump on the road that is not even… soon as I came up, the vehicle just pick up speed around the corner, and I tried to mash the brakes but I find the brakes drop and it (the SUV) go and hit the wall….”

Lewis said that when the vehicle hit the wall, she applied the emergency hand brakes, which caused the SUV to spin further out of control before it planted itself between a gap in the wall, a few feet away from the front of a house, with the wheels still racing.

She said when the vehicle stopped at the gate, it began to smoke.

Her attempts to get out of the vehicle proved futile as she was unable to get the driver side door open. Smoke filled the vehicle and the engine caught fire.

“I made up my mind that I was going to die. I said ‘this is death.’”

“I was fighting to get out of the vehicle and the fire started to spread. I was trying to ask for help and nobody stopped.”

It was at this point that Cane Grove resident Dwayne Thompson came to Lewis’ rescue.

Thompson, who works at Monica’s Super Cash and Carry Supermarket, was on his way to Arnos Vale when he witnessed the accident and jumped into action.

“I just saw the jeep come around the corner and went straight towards the wall and then it started smoking and lighting.”

“Then I saw the lady fighting to get out, but nobody was really going towards her; there were other vehicles passing, but most people were just standing and looking, so I just run to the vehicle because she was trying to get out.”

Thompson realized that it was impossible to get any of the doors open, so he resorted to pulling the trapped and scared woman out of the passenger side window.

After getting Lewis to safety, he returned to the burning vehicle and grabbed her hand bag.

Shortly after she was pulled to safety, the vehicle burst into flames.

A thankful Lewis is not only grateful to Thompson, but also the police men and women who came to her aid following the incident.

She said that members of the fire and traffic departments as well as the Rapid Response Unit were gracious in the way they handled her situation.

She also added that she felt she would have surely died, had her seatbelt been fastened.

“Luckily I didn’t have my seatbelt (on) because if I put it on and I am driving, the seatbelt gets tighter on my stomach and makes me uncomfortable.”

“I was fighting to get out of the vehicle and this guy pulled me out. If he didn’t come I am sure I was dead.”

Both Lewis and Thompson agree from their layman’s point of view that something had gone terribly wrong with the SUV, which caused it to malfunction.

“When I got there, her foot wasn’t on the accelerator and the (brakes) pedal was down, and the vehicle was still racing.”

“She came around the corner really slow, then the vehicle just speed up… it was probably some sort of malfunction.”

“I don’t know what is responsible for the system shutting down, but people who were on the spot tell me it is an electrical problem the vehicle developed, because it is computerized; that’s why it caught fire,” added Lewis, who suffered cuts and bruises in the ordeal.

Meanwhile, Lewis claims to have a history of sorts with the Casson Hill retaining wall.

She noted that a cousin of hers, Hugh Homer, lost his life in the area, and her Grandmother suffered a broken leg following an accident there many years ago.

I think people need to pray for that corner because it seems to be causing a lot of accidents and some of them have proven to be fatal.”

“I am a child of God and I believe that because of my strong faith and religious belief that is why he sees me through.”

As for Thompson, he is just happy that he could have helped a commuter who needed help, an act that he says he has engaged in on many occasions.

He said that at no point did he worry about his own safety when rescuing the trapped driver.

‘It was just out of instinct – fear didn’t even cross my mind. I am always helping people on the road; it’s a regular thing.”