Wallingford Woman Makes Like Wonder Woman, Rescues Two from Fiery Crash in Durham

A Wallingford woman made more like Wonder Woman than a mild-mannered mother and business owner when she swooped in and pulled two drivers from their cars following a fiery crash Wednesday afternoon — and before one of the cars burst into flames.

Wallingford’s Christine Mansfield saw the fiery crash play out in front of her on Route 68 in Durham when a car driven by Louise Gasparini, 43, of Middletown collided with a car that was turning left, according to NBC Connecticut.

“I was driving down the street and heard a crash and saw two cars going out of control,” Mansfield told NBC Connecticut. “When I stopped the car, there was smoke coming out, one was resting against a light pole and the other against each other.”

Mansfield told NBC she threw her car into park and instinctively ran to the scene and was surprised to see that the women were not getting out of their cars quickly. Bethany’s Maryann Booss, 69, was the other driver involved in the crash.

After helping Booss out of her car, Mansfield led Gasparini out of her car which was beginning to ignite.

Mansfield told NBC, “I don’t think she understood what was going on. I said, ‘The cars are on fire; you have to move.’”

Gasparini’s car, which was totaled, then burst into flames, according to NBC.

Read the full story at NBC Connecticut here.

Image via NBC Connecticut

Have a news tip? Email Vincent.salzo@patch.com. You can also post your own news, events and announcements on Patch by following these directions. Curious about how our new commenting platform, Disqus, works? Learn more about it here and start interacting with your neighbors on Patch.