Man goes missing taking trash to dumpster. His car found submerged in lake, cops say
A 77-year-old man in New Hampshire didn’t return home when he drove off to throw away his trash in a local dumpster, police say.
So, his family and neighbors — worried about where he might be — began looking for him that night.
Their search led them to the man’s 2017 Acura RDX submerged in Lake Winnipesaukee, the Moultonborough Police Department said in an Oct. 19 news release on Facebook. Trapped inside the car was 77-year-old Barry Haight.
Police estimate Haight was in the car underwater for around an hour and a half before being discovered.
A neighbor, who works as a firefighter in Massachusetts, “took immediate action” and went into the water to rescue Haight, according to the police department. Haight was pulled out of the car and hauled onto shore.
While waiting for an ambulance to arrive, the neighbor who dragged Haight out of the sunken car gave him CPR until officials made it to the scene, police said.
Moultonborough police and other emergency responders investigated the scene and give Haight medical attention, the release said. He was sent to Concord Hospital-Laconia, where he was pronounced dead.
Police called Haight’s death “an unfortunate and tragic accident.” Although there weren’t any witnesses to the accident, police said he most likely was driving in the cul-de-sac and “mistakenly drove down a boat ramp” into the lake.
His car was pulled from New Hampshire’s largest lake by a towing company and firefighters, according to police.
Moultonborough is about 50 miles north of Concord.
This story was originally published October 19, 2023 at 5:06 PM with the headline "Man goes missing taking trash to dumpster. His car found submerged in lake, cops say."
