Driver survives 20-foot plunge into Mill River in Fairfield

After loosing control of his car and plunging off a bridge, a southwestern Connecticut man spoke exclusively to News 12 Connecticut. Harald Ott was driving north on I-95 between exits 22 and 23 when he

News 12 Staff

Mar 20, 2007, 12:05 AM

Updated 6,258 days ago

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Driver survives 20-foot plunge into Mill River in Fairfield
After loosing control of his car and plunging off a bridge, a southwestern Connecticut man spoke exclusively to News 12 Connecticut. Harald Ott was driving north on I-95 between exits 22 and 23 when he lost control of his Ford Explorer. Ott remembers thinking he would hit the guardrail and stop, but he slammed into a cement barrier and plunged into the Mill River. Ott says for a brief moment, he thought about his wife and son and knew he had to survive. He was able to open a door and make his way to the shore that was just a few feet away. Ott not only survived the crash but walked away from it uninjured. Assistant Fire Chief George Gomola was on the scene Saturday. He says this could've easily been a fatality. If the car had landed just a few feet closer to the middle of the river, it would have been completely submerged and the outcome may have been very different.


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