Man watches wife's Lexus roll into river

LISBON, Conn. (WTNH) -- State Police were called in to Lisbon to investigate reports of a submerged SUV Thursday.

No one was inside the vehicle when it sank in the Shetucket River, however, this is one accident that may have been avoided.

This is not something folks from Raymond Auto deal with everyday, sure they tow cars all the time, but not from the bottom of a river.

"The thing just took off into the water and then floated for a little while," said Vance Coffin, of Norwich. "I thought they'd be able to get it and just sunk."

Coffin had planned to go kayaking, but when he got out to take the kayak off the roof, the Lexus SUV started to roll backwards down the Lisbon boat launch and he couldn't stop it. He thought he had put his wife's car in park.

"I'm terrified my wife is gonna kill me," said Coffin.

Coffin actually had to swim out to get the kayak. He says it remained on the car when it went into the water, but when the car sank the kayak racks and all broke off and then just floated above.

Other than maybe a bruised ego Coffin was not hurt and neither was anybody else.

"I'm glad I wasn't in it," Coffin said. "It could have been or I could have been run over by it."

First responders who just happened to be training up the road arrived quickly including the Taftville dive team, which attached the cables to the sunken SUV.

"The car obviously stirred up a lot of silt," said Chief Tim Jenks, Taftville Fire, "so we had to do everything, all of the chains, the cables, and everything by feel."

After some tricky maneuvering the Lexus emerged from the Shetucket River on its side.

A diver tells News 8 the car was still in reverse.

As for Coffin's wife, she didn't kill him. She's just glad he is okay. The car is a different story.