Police/Rescue: Two hurt in crash on Rt. 100; rescue on Camels Hump
September 3, 2025 | By Waterbury Roundabout Sept. 4: This post was updated with information on two additional recent Waterbury Backcountry Rescue calls.
A two-vehicle crash on Vermont Route 100 near Gregg Hill Road in Waterbury Center on Wednesday morning sent two drivers to the hospital and shut down traffic for about an hour, according to Vermont State Police.
The incident happened at 8:30 a.m. when Sarah Hill, 25, of Putney, was traveling north on Rt. 100 and 66-year-old Jeanette Fisher of Morristown was headed south, Trooper Mae Murdock described in the accident report. Hill crossed into the southbound lane and hit Fisher’s vehicle, Murdock said.
Hill was driving a 2019 Toyota Rav 4, and Fisher was in a 2021 Ram 1500; both vehicles were totaled, police said. The weather was clear and the road was dry at the time of the crash.
Both drivers were wearing seatbelts, the report noted, although they also both sustained substantial non-life-threatening injuries. Hill was transported to Central Vermont Medical Center, and Fisher was transported to Copley Hospital, police said.
The crash and road-clearing led first responders to close Rt. 100 near the scene for about an hour, snarling morning traffic on the busy two-lane state highway.
This case remains under investigation. Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact Trooper Murdock at the Berlin state police barracks at 802-229-9191.
Rescuers help guide an injured hiker down a steep trail below the summit of Camels Hump on Aug. 28. Photo courtesy of Stowe Mountain Rescue
Three rescue calls on Camels Hump
On Thursday, Aug. 28, around 1 p.m., Waterbury Backcountry Rescue Team called on other local first responders to assist with responding to a report of an injured hiker near the summit of Camels Hump.
The 70-year-old hiker and her husband were descending the Long Trail below the south face of the summit when she slipped on mud, twisted her ankle, and struck her head in her fall, according to the team’s report. Another hiker who happened to be a physician came upon them and assisted by giving the injured woman a quick exam and providing an Ace bandage to wrap the ankle, according to rescuers.
Rescue team members head up the trail with equipment that ultimately wasn’t needed on the call. Photo courtesy of Stowe Mountain Rescue
The couple were experienced hikers and equipped for an emergency with extra clothing, trekking poles, and over-the-counter pain medication, the report noted.
Because the call came in midday on a weekday, the Waterbury team was unable to assemble a full crew, so it called for mutual aid from the Camels Hump Backcountry Rescue Team in Richmond, Richmond Rescue, Hinesburg Fire Department, Huntington Backcountry Rescue, and Stowe Mountain Rescue. The combined effort drew 18 rescuers to the base of the Monroe Trail in Duxbury, according to the Waterbury team’s account.
The joint team ascended via the Monroe, Dean, and Long Trails to the patient's location, which was above the steepest and most challenging hiking terrain on Camels Hump. A Stokes litter and roping systems were carried in by rescuers, given the location.
In a turn of good fortune, however, the hiker was able to slowly descend under her own power with assistance from rescuers. “She successfully descended the rugged terrain and was guided downhill to a location where an ATV from Stowe Mountain Rescue was able to pick her up and drive her about one mile to the base,” the report states.
Rescuers complimented her for her grit. By walking slowly under her own power, hours were trimmed off the rescue, they noted.
In its account of the call on its Facebook page, Stowe Mountain Rescue wrote: “We were relieved to find that the subject was able to walk with assistance, sparing us a long litter carry. We were able to shorten her ordeal by bringing an ATV up to the Hump Brook Campsite, saving her almost a mile and a half of painful hobbling.”
They also credited the hiker’s spouse “who had the foresight to call for help early in the day.” Given the remote location and potential for a slow, technical rescue, the early call was key. “We were happy to get this one done in daylight,” the Stowe crew noted.
The hiker reached the base at 6:28 p.m. and she did not require transport by ambulance.
That was the first of three recent calls for Waterbury Backcountry Rescue. Team member Brian Lindner shared accounts from two rescue calls that came on Sunday, Aug. 31.
The first involved a 76-year-old man high up on the Burrows Trail with a leg injury. Shortly after midnight on the same day, the team was called to assist Vermont State Police in responding to a report of a missing male hiker on Camels Hump.
Initially, it was thought that the hiker’s car was at the Monroe Trail parking lot in Duxbury, but a trooper located it instead in the parking lot in Bolton at the base of the Bamforth Ridge Trail. A plan was devised to search for the hiker by having two-person teams sweep specific trails, including the Bamforth Ridge Trail itself. At around 3:45 a.m., a member of the Waterbury team could see unusual flashing green lights uphill from his team. The lights turned out to be the cardiac monitor feature on the hiker’s wristwatch, which was his only source of light, having drained the battery on his cell phone. He was provided with proper lighting and guided to the base of the trail and back to safety.
Hikers are reminded to always take a headlamp (or two) on hikes, even when starting out on a warm and sunny day.
Waterbury Backcountry Rescue Team is part of Waterbury Ambulance Service.