By Jennifer Solis
WEST NEWBURY — He's spent a lifetime helping others deal with emergencies in their homes or on the roadways of West Newbury. But a head-on collision Friday has landed retired fire Chief Raymond "Rock" Dower in intensive care at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. Now it's time for the community to rally in support of him.
Dower, 63, and his long-time girlfriend, Jill Godin, 50, of Groveland, had kicked off their holiday shopping at a local Christmas fair and were heading eastbound on Route 213 in Methuen around 2:45 p.m. when the accident occurred. On a stretch of roadway without barriers near the Howe Street exit, 19-year-old Matthew Emery of Methuen crossed the median and plowed his 2006 Pontiac G6 head on into Dower's 2000 Ford Explorer.
Godin's daughter Jessica said a police officer at the scene later told her that had Dower been driving a smaller car, he likely would not have survived the crash. Godin, who has a broken sternum and some minor fractures in her hands, was released from Lawrence General Hospital on Saturday.
Dower, who was transported from Lawrence to Boston, sustained a significant concussion, a broken sternum, 12 broken ribs, a fractured left ankle, and three fractured vertebrae, according to Godin. Doctors are still determining the extent of his back injuries and whether surgery will be required on one of the fractured vertebrae.
"He's in pain and on a lot of medications, but he is conscious and lucid," Godin wrote in an e-mail update to family and friends.
"All in all, they were very, very lucky," Jessica Godin said, when reached at home yesterday.
Emery reportedly remains in serious condition at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Jessica Godin reported that her mother said she never saw Emery's car coming, but that Dower had warned her they were going to get hit just prior to impact.
The crash closed the eastbound lanes of Route 213 for nearly three hours.
Dower is in a neck brace, but he can move his legs, said Jessica. He will likely need to spend some time at a rehabilitation facility once he leaves the hospital, but should recover from his injuries, she said.
"We'll try to keep everyone updated on his condition, when he can have visitors, and when he will be coming home," Godin wrote.
Bob MacDonald said he hopes the community will find a way to support his long-time friend in his hour of need. "Rock took a good hit," MacDonald said. "I think he's going to be out of work for a long while."
"All of us at West Newbury Public Safety Dispatch wish both Rock and Jill a speedy recovery. Our thoughts and prayers are with them, "said lead dispatcher Lee Ann Delp, a sentiment that was echoed by police Chief Lisa Holmes and her department.
"It was an awful shock," said West Newbury's current fire chief, Scott Berkenbush. An initial lack of information on Dower's condition made for a long day of waiting on Saturday for all of Dower's friends on the fire department and within the community, where he served as the town's fire chief for 30 of his 45 years as a firefighter.
"It's hard enough reading about this kind of accident when you don't know the people involved, but even tougher when you do," said Berkenbush, particularly for first responders who have witnessed first-hand how serious outcomes for this type of accident can be.
A certified EMT, Berkenbush cautioned that there can be many ups and downs in the first few days following a trauma of this magnitude, so it was important not to draw premature conclusions.
Still, he considered the fact that Dower was reportedly talking right after the accident a hopeful indicator. And he noted that even though Dower is in the surgical ICU at Tufts, he has not yet undergone any surgery.
"That's a good sign," Berkenbush said.
"It's ironic, really," he reflected, "when you think about how many accidents Rock has responded to himself over the years."
Berkenbush said once more is known about Dower's condition and plans for rehabilitation, the fire department will decide the best way for the community to lend its support to a man who could always counted on in an emergency.
The crash remains under investigation by Troop A of the Mass. State Police with the assistance of the State Police Collision and Reconstruction Section and the State Police Crime Scene Services Section.
