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SUNNY Temp: 70 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Friday, June 27, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend June 24, 2003 Pair pull teen from wreck By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune A Medford teenager whose car careened into an irrigation ditch Monday was cut from the overturned car by two motorists who firefighters say may have saved her life. Passers-by Jeremy Davee and Jeff Ekwall jumped into the cold, chest-high water in an irrigation ditch along Foothill Road about 7:25 p.m. to aid the girl, who was trapped inside an overturned convertible with the top up, witnesses said. "I could hear her screaming and when I jumped into the water, I looked through the back window and could see on her face that she was scared to death," said Davee, a 36-year-old father of three girls. "It was just like in the movies," Davee said. "The water level was higher outside the car than inside, but it was filling up fast. She was running out of room." Advertisement Another passer-by handed Davee a knife, which he used to cut out the vinyl rear window of the 1984 Chrysler LeBaron, he said. By then, Ekwall had jumped into the 4-foot water and tore open the passenger side of the convertible roof, Davee said. The two then pulled the slightly built teenager through the hole and carried her up the embankment as police and firefighters arrived. "They absolutely saved her," said acting Capt. Gordon Sletmoeof the Medford Fire Department. "If she couldn’t have gotten out, she would have been in bad shape." Police and firefighters declined to identify the 16-year-old girl because she is a minor. Medical technicians checked her out and found that she was cold and shaken up but suffered no physical injuries. "She definitely was a lucky girl," said Medford police Officer Ginny Lawson, who is investigating the crash. "She didn’t get hurt at all. Those guys did awesome." The cause of the accident remained under investigation, and police were unsure Monday evening whether speed or a mechanical problem was responsible, police Sgt. Joe Burchfiel said. Davee said he was following the car south on Foothill Road near Cedar Links Road when he noticed the car jerking while it turned. After it passed Lone Pine Road, the car seemed to dart to the right where it just missed a light post and flipped into the irrigation ditch. Davee said the ordeal was "pretty hairy" but the outcome more than made up for being cold and wet. "I’m glad it wasn’t some 300-pound person seatbelted into the car," he said. "It probably would have been a different outcome." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times