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Divi Employees Rescue Co-Worker Near Grassy Point

Feb 3, 2006 – The rain was coming down in sheets as Phyllis Blackman was driving to work at Divi Carina Bay Casino on Thursday morning. She had driven up the hill from Rod Bay and was near Grassy Point when she saw what at first just seemed to be a shadow, but the shadow formed into a deer. She hit her brakes and swerved to miss it.
The next thing Blackman knew her Ford Expedition was rolling. It rolled over twice. She was not injured badly, but was shaken up. Blackman said the air bag went off and "slapped my face."
None of the doors would open. And what was worse, she could feel the vehicle wobbling. A wrong move and it could start rolling further down the hill. Blackman knew she had gone too far from the road to be seen by traffic and wondered how long her ordeal would last.
She didn't have to wait long. In just a couple of minutes she heard the voice of her co-worker, Elaine Clarke, saying, "Oh my god, it is Phyllis."
Clarke saw Mercedes Cruz, another Divi employee driving by and flagged her down. While Clarke tried to determine what needed to be done, Cruz called the casino and resort for assistance.
Clarke and Cruz saw that the vehicle appeared off-balance and was ready to continue rolling down the hill. They knew time was of the essence.
Blackman said in an interview Friday, "And here comes Elaine with a big rock in her hand."
The windshield was already partially broken, and while Cruz held the swaying SUV as still as she could, Clarke broke a hole in the windshield large enough to drag Blackman out.
As Cruz pulled and Clarke pushed Blackman up the hill in the driving rain, they saw the SUV slide just a little further down the hill. Blackman does not know what would have happened if she hadn't gotten out of the vehicle.
According to a press release from Divi Carina Bay Resort and Casino, Blackman was trembling, near shock and in need of medical assistance. A Divi employee took her to the resort and an ambulance carried her to the Juan F. Luis Hospital emergency room, where she was admitted for tests, but later released.
Blackman said on Friday, "I thank God for those two. I am really grateful for what they did."
Clarke and Cruz, despite experiencing cuts and bruises, returned to work the balance the day at the casino.

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