An Edgartown woman is expected to make a full recovery after rolling her vehicle and spending much of the night outdoors in sub-freezing temperatures Sunday, according to police.
Brittany Bunnell, 28, was involved in a single car accident shortly after 2 a.m. on Sunday morning. Edgartown police Sgt. Craig Edwards found the vehicle on its roof during a routine patrol along Herring Creek Road, about two hours later.
“There was no one in the vehicle,” Sergeant Edwards said. “It was 10 degrees, it was so cold with the wind off the airfield. Bare skin just froze instantly.”
Sergeant Edwards began a search with the help of a thermal camera in his cruiser. He also called in the fire department and emergency medical services, which immediately organized a grid search of the area. The weather conditions were so extreme that firefighters and medics had to rotate in and out of vehicles to stay warm during the search.
It wasn’t until 6:44 a.m. that a civilian saw the woman, kneeling down, on Navy Way, more than a half-mile from the vehicle.
“It appeared she got wet, her feet had been frozen,” Sgt. Edwards said. “She was disoriented, she showed some signs of frostbite. We learned afterward she walked away from the scene, made her way to a house, taking refuge on a porch out of the wind.”
Ms. Bunnell was transported immediately to the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital suffering from frostbite, according to police. She was then taken by medical helicopter to Boston for further treatment.
The investigation into the accident remains open. Police will issue a citation to Ms. Bunnell for negligent operation of her vehicle.
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