Lt. Lawrence Valliere is back at the scene of what could have been a deadly car wreck Tuesday night on Holyoke Road. He and three other Westfield Police officers responded to a car in a creek but they were under the impression the driver was already out, but they were wrong.

"The car door had never been opened, " says Lt. Lawrence Valliere.

The driver, 52-year-old Gary Poole, was less than a mile away from home, when the heavy rains caused him to lose control. His car landed upside down in this creek.

"The weather really did play a big factor in the crash, " adds Lt. Valliere.
Vallerie says time was of the essence unsure if the Poole was even alive He and his fellow officers, along with several firefighters jumped in the cold waters and turned the car on it's side, breaking a window to let the victim out.

Poole amazingly was able to get short breaths by sucking through a 6 inch open space in the car that was not submerged under water.

Officers were later told a passerby saw his car 30 minutes prior to them responding. Meaning the man was trapped for almost 45 minutes.

"He was trying to keep his head above water, his legs were entangled and caught in pedals and dash board, he couldn't free them so he had to keep himself in air space left inside the vehicle, " adds Valliere.

Poole was taken to Noble hospital, and later transferred to Baystate Medical center where he's in fair condition.