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Tri Community Firefighters
Work Heavy Entrapment On I-75
OOLTEWAH, TENN – Friday, June 1, 2007 - 12:45 pm - A spectacular accident
today resulted in heavy entrapment on
Interstate 75 in Ooltewah, Tennessee. The accident occurred in the
northbound lanes of Interstate 75 just north of the 14 mile marker between a tractor
trailer and a Mercury Marquis passenger car.
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According to the driver of the tractor trailer, who was uninjured, he was
traveling northbound with the Mercury in front of him. He stated that the
female driver of the automobile swerved to the right to avoid a large
cardboard box in the roadway. She lost control of her vehicle, struck the
guardrail, bounced off and came back into the lanes of travel. He was unable
to avoid the car and it drove underneath the trailer portion of the rig and
wedged underneath the rear tires. The big rig dragged the car several
hundred yards, ripping off pieces as it flew down the interstate before
coming to a stop with the automobile still stuck underneath the rear tires
and the trailer.
The truck driver said that he immediately exited the cab and went “looking
for bodies”. What he found was the lone occupant of the car unable to free
herself. Along with several other motorists who stopped, the driver
attempted to free the elderly female with no luck.
The Tri Community Volunteer Fire Department was alerted to the accident with
entrapment on the interstate and responded with several pieces of apparatus,
including 1281, the Heavy Rescue Truck. They also requested mutual aid from
the Highway 58 Volunteer Fire Department and they responded with one piece
of apparatus. Once on the scene, firefighters assessed the situation
and ordered Life Force Helicopter to launch. Firefighters immediately went
to work stabilizing the tractor trailer combination with wooden cribbing.
Along with medics from Hamilton County EMS, they also assessed the patient
and began medical treatment. Once the trailer was stabilized, using air
bags, it was lifted partially off of the car. Then, using the jaws of life,
firefighters cut the drivers door from the Mercury. After cutting off the
door, medics were able to remove the patient to a backboard and she was
turned over to medical personnel from Life Force. She was taken to the
waiting helicopter which had landed in the northbound lanes of the
interstate, and transported by air to Erlanger Hospital. Her injuries are
not believed to be life threatening. The extrication took approximately 40
minutes. |
Firefighters remained on the scene during the delicate process of removing
the vehicle from underneath the trailer. Once this was accomplished and the
accident scene was cleared traffic was allowed to return to normal. During
the three hours or so that this process was ongoing, northbound I-75 was
shut down at the Ooltewah exit, number 11. Traffic south of there was backed
up for miles.
Several help trucks from the Tennessee Department of Transportation assisted
with traffic control. The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department was on the
scene and the accident is being investigated by the Tennessee Highway
Patrol. No official cause or any charges have yet been released by the
Highway Patrol.
Story by Patrick Kellam
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