A 25 yr. old woman suffered multiple traumatic injuries from a single-car crash in the 1000 block of Industrial Road north of Walterboro (SC) Friday evening 05-February. Colleton County (SC) Fire-Rescue was notified of the accident at 23:10 after a witness advised 9-1-1 a car had left the roadway and struck a tree.
Engine 19 and Medic 19, stationed two blocks away, arrived two minutes later to find a 2016 Nissan with massive damage and in several pieces on an embankment. Firefighter-Paramedics found the driver still alive and trapped in the wreckage. They requested a heavy rescue, then placed a medical helicopter on standby. Crews began treating the woman and started the extrication with Holmatro Rescue Tools carried on Engine 19. Treatment included spinal immobilization and multiple IVs.
After Rescue 1 arrived, additional hydraulic rescue tools were deployed to displace the dash. Engine 19’s personnel had already removed the remainder of the driver’s side of the car and the roof. The rear of the car was separated and a portion of the roof had been sheared off. The car had been traveling at a high rate of speed when it left the roadway, drove up an embankment, and struck a driveway. The car became airborne, clearing the driveway, then struck five trees, uprooting one small oak. The extrication took approximately 20 minutes.
Once freed, the patient was rapidly transported by Medic 19 to the helipad at Colleton Medical Center to meet with LifeNet 4 stationed there. The patient was flown to the trauma center at MUSC in Charleston. The Sheriff’s Office assisted at the scene and SC Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.
Engine 19, Medic 19, Rescue 1, Battalion 1 and Car 12 responded. Battalion Chief Brent Dalton served as Incident Commander.
Barry W. McRoy, Fire Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue
Barry McRoy photo
Barry McRoy photo
Barry McRoy photo
Barry McRoy photo
Barry McRoy photo
Barry McRoy photo