02/December/2014 – MVC with entrapment – “A” Shift

Incident # 14-07044 – Three New Yorkers and a large canine were trapped in a minivan after if left the highway and flipped on its side Tuesday morning 02-December. At 09:23, several callers reported the accident to 9-1-1. The northbound Honda mini-van left the roadway at a high rate of speed near the 40 mile marker at the Colleton-Hampton County line. The vehicle slide down the embankment, uprooted a tree and rolled over on to the passenger side trapping the three occupants. The exterior of the van was wrapped in vines, making it difficult to see from the highway. Engine 13 arrived to find the car in the swamp along the Combahee River. They reported hearing the occupants banging on the inside of the van. Firefighter-Paramedics stabilized the van using the winch from Rescue 1, cribbing and stabilizer jacks. A chain saw was used to remove several small trees and the vines from around the van. Crews were then able to force open the rear hatch to the van. After a few minutes of unloading luggage from the back of the van, personnel were able to access the patients. The large canine was secured by a male patient and later placed in a dog carrier. Two patients suffered non-life threatening multiple traumatic injuries and were extricated with spinal precautions. The third patient refused treatment and ambulance transportation. Low angle rigging was used to pulled the patients up the embankment.