ATTLEBORO - A handful of passersby are being credited with saving the life of a Providence woman who was ejected from a pickup truck that flipped over off Interstate 95 South before both landed into a water-filled median late Monday afternoon.

"It hit the guardrail and it went airborne, and the woman was ejected from it," Fire Capt. Keith Jackson said of the pickup that was driven by her husband, who was also ejected and also suffered serious but nonlife-threatening injuries. "The vehicle ultimately ended up in the water. The vehicle was partially on top of her."

Jackson described the median's drainage ditch as swamp-like, with about 18 inches of water, that the passersby ran into.

"They all were physically in the water keeping the lady's head above water. She was pretty well trapped," Jackson said. "Their actions probably prevented her from drowning.

"She had some injuries but because of the way she was in the water, we had to get her on the board and extricate her out of the ditch," Jackson said. "She was conscious. Obviously she was banged around a bit." The heroic rescuers included a Seekonk man, a Providence police officer and his father - a retired Providence officer, a captain with the Scituate, R.I. ambulance squad, and a man from Wakefield, R.I.

She was fortunate some very community-spirited gentlemen happened to stop and assist," Jackson said.

The woman was later identified by state police as Victoria Baranenko, 43, of Providence. Her husband, Sergey Baranenko, 46, was on the ground near the highway when rescue crews arrived.

"He was pretty well banged up," Jackson said, adding he had some trauma to the head.

The Baranenkos were taken to Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, by two city ambulances. No conditions were available Monday night.

The driver of a sedan that came in contact with the pickup, Howard Myer, 59, also of Providence, was taken as a precaution to Miriam Hospital, Providence, by a third rescue, from North Attleboro.

Preliminary investigation by Trooper David Keefe indicates Baranenko was driving in the right travel lane when traffic began to slow. Baranenko made a quick turn to the left, and his pickup struck the car that was traveling in the middle lane. Baranenko lost control and the pickup began to roll across all lanes of traffic until it rolled over the median guardrail, police said.

Both Baranenkos were not wearing their seatbelts at the time of the crash, police said.

The accident was reported about 5:15 p.m. just opposite the I-295 ramp.

Because of the time of the crash, commuter traffic was backed up for some time, police said. The middle and left travel lanes were closed for about ½ hours during the investigation and vehicle recovery. The crash remains under investigation by Keefe.