Lumberton woman, 84, rescued from top of SUV in pond

Lumberton, N.C. — An 84-year-old Lumberton woman is safe after spending about 30 hours on top of her sports utility vehicle, which was submerged in a pond on a dead-end road.

The Fayetteville Observer reported (http://bit.ly/O75lMG) that Margaret Britt Simmons was rescued late Thursday from the top of her vehicle, which was in a Robeson County pond.

Granddaughter Angie Willoughby said Simmons left her brother-in-law's home in Lumberton about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. She took a different route to avoid road work and ended up in the pond.

Willoughby said her grandmother told her that she climbed on the SUV's roof and stayed there until a man driving down the road found her about 8:30 p.m. Thursday.

Authorities said the pond is surrounded by trees except for a 10-foot clearing.

A Silver Alert was issued for Simmons on Thursday. Developed in 2007, the Silver Alert system quickly notifies the public about missing endangered adults who suffer from dementia or other cognitive impairments, such as Alzheimer's disease.

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Information from: The Fayetteville Observer

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Latest Comments

Tough old bird! but perhaps time to stop driving......

Crabbit Cratur
July 23, 2012 12:22 p.m.

We took the car away from my impared 84 yo dad before he killed himself or another. Glad the lady made it out & hopefully she stops driving now. If she made it out on top of the vehicle the pond was probably shallow enough to wade out. Seniors at some point need to be restricted from driving by the DMV.

marek335
July 23, 2012 8:27 a.m.