10/May/2013 – MVC with entrapment & Air Evac – “C” Shift

Incident # 13-02466 – A single vehicle, high speed MVC on I-95 left a Florida woman with multiple traumatic injuries Friday afternoon 10-May. At 14:15, 9-1-1 operators began receiving multiple reports of the MVC which blocked both northbound lanes. A small Ford SUV was traveling southbound when it entered the median and began to flip over. The SUV cleared the cable barrier and continued to roll over before it came to rest upright in the middle of the northbound lanes. Northbound traffic was completely blocked by the car and the debris field. The female driver was trapped in the wreckage. Fire-Rescue units arrived minutes later and began treating the woman while she was still trapped in the car. She was immobilized and received IV fluids while Firefighter-Paramedics used Holmatro Rescue tools to extricate her from the vehicle. A medical helicopter was requested and a LZ was set up on the Interstate north of the accident site. LifeNet 4 responded to the scene. The patient was transferred to the Flight Crew without incident, then flown to the Trauma Center at MUSC in Charleston. 

The woman’s dog was also in the car, but not injured. Firefighters cared for the canine until Animal Control Officers arrived and took custody of the dog. Northbound traffic on I-95 was blocked for 40 minutes and backed up over seven miles.  Firefighters used a 4x4 staff vehicle to pulled the car from the travel lanes to open the Interstate back up. The SC Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.

Engine 1, Engine 26, Medic 26, Rescue 1, Battalion 1 and Car 12 responded. Battalion Chief Dan Barb served as Incident Commander.