Rescuer says he was in right place at right time

TILTON — A Franklin man who came to the aid of a truck driver after his vehicle plunged into the Winnipesaukee River Monday morning says he feels fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time.

Fred Roy, 51, said he was barefoot when he slid down the  guardrail that the truck had taken out as it plunged into the 3- to 4-foot-deep river.

Roy said he ended up beneath the side of the overturned truck and was able to get atop the passenger side.

“There was another man already there trying to help the driver get out, but the door handle wouldn’t work. The driver rolled the window down and we helped him out,” Roy said.

He said the driver was disoriented but not injured and he and the other rescuer stood with the driver atop the truck until emergency workers arrived with a ladder that allowed them to get back up onto the sidewalk.

Roy said he had taken a rare day off from work Monday and he and his wife, Dawn, had just left Pauli’s Restaurant after having breakfast when they saw people running down Main Street toward the site of the accident.

“I pulled the car over and kicked off my flip flops and took my wallet out of my pocket and ran across the street before sliding down the guardrail,” said Roy.

He said that he saw bags of fertilizer in the water that had been carried by the TruGreen landscaping truck.

His wife posted an account of what happened that morning on Facebook.

“We would've gone to one place here in town, but he continued on to Tilton to his usual spot. We ate and left and were heading back and saw people running in the road, so, in true Fred Roy fashion, he slammed on his brakes and stopped and jumped out.

“He then climbed down into the river via the broken iron rail and he and one other man rescued this man, who had gone through the iron rail and into the river. His door handle wouldn't work, so they got him out the window. He's OK.

“There's a mess to deal with in Tilton now, but the man is alive and will be fine. Glory to God. The police took Fred's statement and we left, so he could shower.”

Roy said he doesn’t know who the other rescuer was.

He said that his wife told him after the incident that, “God had a  purpose for you this day.”

Tilton police believe alcohol was a factor in the accident.

According to police, the truck, which was being driven by Thomas O’Reilly, 45, of Auburn, Mass., clipped another vehicle at a stop light at the intersection of Park Street and Main Street before leaving the roadway and ending up in the river.

Rusty’s Towing removed the truck and an attached trailer from the river. Police detoured traffic around the accident scene for more than three hours.