Drunk driver falls into well

It was bad enough when the Lebanon County woman crashed her sport-utility vehicle early Thursday morning in Clay Township. But making matters worse, police said, when Melissa M. Herr, 37, of Kleinfeltersville, got out of her vehicle to look at the damage, she tumbled down a well.

Herr was eventually rescued and taken to Lancaster General Hospital, state police said. She was not seriously injured, troopers said, but sustained bruises to her back and arms.

She also faces drunken driving charges, Trooper Paul E. Hardnock said.

According to state police, Herr was traveling north on North Clay Road, past Hopeland Road, around 12:30 a.m. when she struck a fence and the concrete pad over a well.

Neighbors heard the crash and went to investigate, officials said, and saw Herr get out of the vehicle and start to walk around. As someone called 911 for help, witnesses told officials they saw her fall into the 30-foot well.

The cold water was up to her chest, officials said, and Herr was down in the well for about 30 minutes until she could be rescued by volunteers from Brickerville and Durlach fire departments.

Herr was flown to the hospital for treatment of her injuries, and her vehicle was towed from the scene, state police said. The roads around the accident scene were closed for a period of time until the woman could be rescued from the well.