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Woman facing hypothermia rescued after getting stuck in mud

A woman had to be rescued by emergency crews Tuesday after she got stuck in mud in a field about a quarter mile off Church Lane in Aquebogue while trying to corral at least one escaped horse, according to Riverhead Town police.

Hypothermia had begun to set it after the woman could not free herself from the mud brought on by the day’s heavy rain. She had fallen on her hands and knees and was stuck for about 45 minutes until a passerby saw her and called for help around 4:45 p.m., according to Riverhead Fire Department Chief Kevin Brooks.

“It was very a good thing that somebody spotted her before the sun went down,” Chief Brooks said.

The woman was transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center for medical evaluation, the chief said. A second assistant chief carried her most of the way back toward Church Lane, he said.

The chief, too, struggled with the mud as he made his way out to the woman. His winter boots, which were a couple sizes too big since he typically wears them with thick socks in the snow, sunk about eight inches and got stuck, he said. His foot came out of one of the boots and a fellow firefighter had to assist him, he said.

“It was like quicksand,” Chief Brooks said, which made walking through the field stressful. The trick to avoid getting struck was to walk quickly, he said.

Chief Brooks noted that of the many citizen assist calls the department has responded to, he could not recall a similar scene like Tuesday’s mud rescue.

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Photo caption: Emergency crews rescued a woman caught in mud in a field off Church Lane Tuesday. (Credit: Kelly Zegers)