Gift delivery delayed by mishap on icy road

Sean Osborn set out on an icy, snowy road to deliver some holiday cheer to Gordon Elementary School

KINGSTON — Sean Osborn set out on an icy, snowy road to deliver some holiday cheer to Gordon Elementary School teachers early Dec. 20.

He was derailed by Mother Nature.

Osborn, an owner of The Coffee Box at the Kingston ferry landing, had personalized bags of coffee for all the teachers — a high-end roast, he said — and drove out to deliver them. (His wife, Rachel, is principal of Gordon.)

His car slid off Apple Tree Point Road and rolled “a half dozen times” down the embankment, he said.

Osborn got out through the sunroof and hiked a half-mile home, where he called 9-1-1. It was no small ordeal. According to Osborn, the crash occurred about 6:30 a.m. According to sheriff’s spokesman Scott Wilson, 9-1-1 got the call from Osborn at 7:48 a.m.

Because of road conditions, firefighters and paramedics were only able to drive to about the point where Osborn’s car went off the roadway. “They still put on all their equipment and walked down the hill [to his house],” Osborn said. “Those guys are something.”

Osborn had hoped to deliver the gifts to the teachers before they took off for winter break. Delivery is put off until school resumes in January; he’s taking some time off to heal from hurt ribs and sternum, and a cut on his scalp.

Nels Sultan of Kingston said there was about 1 inch of snow over a layer of ice on that portion of Apple Tree Point Road around 7 a.m. “I tried to drive up earlier, could not make it, turned around, went home [and] waited for it all to melt,” he said.

 

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