“I was assigned to Engine 1 as the Driver/Operator and ALS provider. Our unit was dispatched to assist Tower 3 on a single vehicle accident with entrapment. While responding, Tower 3 advised that their apparatus was stuck inside of their station due to power lines down in front of the building as a result of the collision, Engine 2 and Medic 1 were requested for additional manpower and extrication equipment. When Engine 1 arrived on the scene, we found a Dodge Charger that had sheared a utility pole and had become pinned inside of the guard rail along the roadway after being airborne with passenger door access blocked. The passenger of the vehicle had become entrapped in the vehicle with her feet protruding through the firewall and her legs wrapped in the vehicle’s floor pan. I entered the vehicle through an open driver’s side door to establish patient care as the first due ALS provider. As the extrication process began, my Lifeline Rescue Tool was used to displace the windshield as well as remove the headliner and seat belts of the vehicle in order for the roof to be removed. The total patient extrication took approximately an hour and a half and included removing the roof of the vehicle, rolling the dashboard, and removal of the glove box in order to gain total access to the patient. The victim was extricated out of the top of the vehicle and transported to a nearby trauma center for treatment.”
Hunter Ruffin, Career Firefighter of Bristol Virginia Fire DepartmentVince Rao2020-10-14T14:16:13-04:00