West Pierce Firefighters Extricate Patient After Car Crashes into Building
On Saturday at approximately 8:40 p.m., West Pierce Fire & Rescue responded to calls for a vehicle that had crashed into a building at the 8000 block of Durango Street SW in Lakewood.
Upon arrival, firefighters found a vehicle with one patient pinned inside that had flipped over and was against the side of the building. The second occupant had self-extricated himself prior to the fire department’s arrival and had reported he was not injured. When the vehicle struck the building, it ruptured a water pipe that was actively flowing water into the car, making rescue efforts more challenging.
Firefighters worked to devise a plan on how to safely extricate the patient and had multiple versions ready to execute, should the need arise. They quickly extricated the 20-year-old driver by cutting through the floor of the vehicle and aggressive resuscitation efforts were initiated by paramedics. The patient was transported to a local hospital and regained vital signs while in the back of the medic unit. At this time, the patient’s condition is unknown. The other occupant was also transported to the hospital as a precaution due to the severity of the incident.
Incidents such as these require many resources and West Pierce Fire & Rescue has specially trained firefighters, such as paramedics and rescue technicians, to handle such scenarios. Consistent training occurs to keep skills fresh so situations like this are completed safely and efficiently.