10/31/2011 – MVC with entrapment & Air Evacuation – “A” Shift
Incident # 11-05834 – A single car MVC in the 12000 block of Green Pond Highway (SC Hwy 303) has left one man in critical condition. The accident was reported at 13:41, Monday afternoon 31-October. The caller reported the vehicle was on its side with one person trapped inside who was barely breathing. Engine 6 and Medic 6 arrived a short time later verifying one person was heavily entrapped in the small pickup truck. The northbound vehicle left the roadway on a straight section of road, entered the deep ditch and struck several trees. A small oak tree crushed the driver’s side “A” post and roof into the passenger compartment, pushing the dash downward to trap the man’s legs. He was wearing a seat belt and the air bags did deploy. The roof also pinned the man in the driver’s seat, pressing on his upper torso and head, compromising his airway. Firefighter-Paramedics found the man unconscious with obvious head injuries.
Crews used Holmatro Hydraulic Rescue Tools to force open the passenger door and allow entry into the vehicle. One Firefighter-Paramedic entered the truck to maintain the patient’s airway. A second crew quickly rigged up chains between the “A” post and a tree, then used the Holmatro Spreaders to pull the roof off of the man. This allowed personnel to maintain his airway, place him on oxygen to increase his O2 levels and establish an IV. Other crewmembers used hydraulic cutters to remove the roof and passenger seat. The dash was crushed almost to the floor, so a Hydraulic Ram could not be used. The driver’s side was against the tree and ditch bank. Firefighters used a hydraulic spreader to displace the dash, a hydraulic cutter to cut the steering wheel and rigged chains around the steering column and a tree to pull the dash upwards. After displacing the dash, it was found the man’s left leg was still pinned between the door and dash. Another set of hydraulic tools were used to severe the driver’s door hinges, which were accessible and an additional set of chains were used to pull the door a few inches away from the truck to free his leg.
The Air Methods/Omniflight-Charleston 7 medical helicopter flew to a nearby field. Due to the extended extrication, the flight crew was transported to the scene and assisted with patient care. The extrication took one hour and 5 minutes to complete. The patient remained unconscious throughout the incident. He was transported from the scene by Medic 6 to meet with Charleston 7 and then flown to the Trauma Center at MUSC in Charleston. He was taken to emergency surgery after arriving at the Trauma Center. Traffic on Green Pond Highway was blocked for two hours. The SC Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.
Engine 6, Rescue 1, Medic 6, Battalion 1, Car 12, Car 110 and Car 118 responded. Battalion Chief Brent Dalton served as Incident Commander. Lt. Joey Campbell coordinated the Landing Zone.
