ROCKINGHAM, Vt. (AP) – Four young people who stopped a wrong-way driver – preventing a potentially fatal crash – were honored by the Vermont State Police for their quick, “selfless” response.
“I’m pretty confident you saved somebody’s life,” Trooper Earl Dessert told them Tuesday, in a ceremony at the Vermont State Police barracks.
On Nov. 18, Jennifer Aldrich, 18, of Ludlow, was northbound on the Interstate when she and passengers Sarah Barrett, 18, Christopher Sanborn, 18, and Barrett’s brother, Army National Guard PFC David Barrett, 20, of Delco, N.C., noticed a northbound car that was driving in the southbound lanes between Putney and Westminster.
Aldrich kept pace with the wrong-way vehicle for at least six miles as she honked her horn and flashed her headlights, trying to get the attention of driver Charles Molloy, 50, of Guilford, Conn.
Finally, after at least one driver swerved to avoid Molloy’s car, he stopped.
Sanborn and David Barrett then crossed the highway median to keep Molloy from driving away. Molloy – who’d thought he was headed home – was charged with DUI and grossly negligent operation of a motor vehicle.
“Your quick and appropriate action resulted in the apprehension of an impaired driver traveling the wrong way on Interstate 91,” said State Police Capt. Kevin Anderson. “Disregarding your personal safety, you took action to protect the lives of others. There is no doubt your selfless action prevented a tragedy.”
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Information from: Rutland Herald, http://www.rutlandherald.com/
AP-ES-11-29-06 1601EST
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