SALEM TOWNSHIP - Looking around, countians have noticed the many out of town plates and strange faces behind the wheels of trucks.
Those faces have come into the area along with the gas and oil companies and their subsidiaries that prepare and drill well sites.
Two of these unfamiliar faces were a welcome sight to one Salem woman, 65-year-old Linnea Laughlin, who suffered a diabetic attack and crashed her car while driving on state Route 45 on the ski slope Thursday afternoon.
Because of the potentially volatile nature of their industry, the truck of Daniel Joseph of Edinburgh, Texas, and his partner Sirbruda Bright of Palm View, Texas, was equipped with fire extinguishers. The two spotted the fire in Laughlin's Ford Focus while driving by and quickly stopped to extinguish it before it got out of control and reached Laughlin in the car.
Because of Laughlin's medical condition, she was unable to exit the car and did not quit pushing the accelerator even after the guardrail stopped her car, causing the fire to erupt in the left front tire well.
As Leetonia firefighters arrived on scene the men quietly stepped back, left their information with the investigating state trooper, Bill Sattler, and continued on their way.
According to Sattler, Laughlin who was southbound on Route 45, crossed over the northbound lane and went off the left off the road just after crossing the bridge. The vehicle rode along the grassy hill striking a few trees along the way before being stopped by the guardrail.
Laughlin was transported to Salem Community Hospital by Leetonia Fire/EMS.
