28/September/2014 – MVC with Entrapment – “B” Shift

Incident # 14-05717 - An 18 year old male was critically injured in a high speed MVC which occurred in the 1500 block of Maple Ridge Road Sunday afternoon 28-Sept at 14:29. An attentive resident’s persistence is credited with finding the teenager who was trapped in the wreckage, some 50 feet off of the roadway in the woods. The southbound Mitsubishi convertible left the roadway in a curve and overcorrected causing the small car to enter the woods. The vehicle struck two large pine trees and a utility pole before careening into two more trees and flipping over in to a water filled ditch.  The car suffered heavy damage and driver was trapped upside down with his head in the water. A man living close by heard what he described as a loud bang, but he did not see any wreckage from his home. He walked to the area and noticed where a car appeared to have entered the ditch, but still not see a vehicle. After walking the roadway a second time, he noticed the red car deep in the woods and could hear the youth screaming inside. He alerted 9-1-1 to the accident and attempted to assist the driver.  

Engine 26 arrived to find the over-turned car in an outfall ditch filled with water from recent rains. Crews used Holmatro Rescue Tools to remove the passenger door to gain access to the patient. They worked for about 15 minutes to free him, which included using Holmatro high pressure air bags to raise the car. The convertible roof provided little protection for the driver who sustained critical injuries. A medical helicopter was requested and a landing zone was established by Engine 19 near the Maple Ridge Baptist Church, however the helicopter had to abort the flight due to poor weather conditions. The patient was transported emergent to Colleton Medical Center by Medic 26, with Medic 9’s crew assisting with patient care. The patient was stabilized, then quickly transferred to the Trauma Center at MUSC by a private ambulance. Traffic on Maple Ridge Road was blocked for over an hour and half due to the accident. The SC Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.

Engine 19, Engine 26, Medic 9, Medic 26, Rescue 1, Battalion 1 and Car 12 responded. Battalion Chief Brent Dalton served as Incident Commander. Photos by Harold Buzzell