24/August/2012 – MVC with entrapment – “B” Shift

Incident # 12-04654 - A 47 year old Islandton man was trapped in his car following a single vehicle accident in the 4000 block of Rum Gully Road Friday morning 24-August at 11:05. The northbound car left the roadway crashing into the Rum Gully, a canal which crosses under the secondary road. The car flipped upside down in a deep ditch that feeds into the canal, trapping the man inside the car. He was wearing a seatbelt which prevented serious injuries. His car was almost obscured from sight. An alert passing motorist saw a tire in the thick growth around the ditch, backed up to make sure it was a vehicle and heard the man calling for help. He notified 9-1-1. Fire-Rescue arrived to find the car down in the seven foot ditch with the doors and all windows blocked. The fuel tank was leaking into the ditch. Firefighters deployed an 1-3/4” handline to protect the scene in the event of a fire. Crews stabilized the car, then used high pressure air bags to lift the vehicle eight to twelve inches allowing the man to be extricated through a side window. He was treated at the scene by Medic 18, then transported to Colleton Medical Center. The SC Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.

Engine 18, Rescue 1, Rescue 18, Squad 23, Car 12, Car 105 and Car 118 responded. Captain Matthew Owen Williams, Jr. served as Incident Commander.