| On 1-24-09, at 3:40 p.m. Howard County communications dispatched rescue alarm 70-31 for the motor vehicle collision on Westbound Interstate 70 at Route 97.
Within minutes Howard County Police officers were on scene advising three vehicles involved with at least 4 priority 1 patients, several trapped and several more patients on the ground.
P-36 arrived shortly after, began triage of the patients, and initiated the response of several additional medic units. E-43 arrived and Chief 4 established I-70 command and updated the status of the incident to eight patients total with 4 priority 1's, and three patients trapped in seperate vehicles.
E-43's crew split and began patient care and extrication efforts on two of the three vehicles. At this point one patient became combative and self extricated form their vehicle, and was assisted by the crew from 36 and 43.
As the crew of E-43 focused their efforts on the second vehicle, Carroll Rescue Squad 12 arrived and began rescue efforts on the third trapped patient. They were joined by Howard County Truck 18 who responded as third due rescue piece and Rescue Squad 2 who responded as fourth due rescue.
The third vehicle posed a few problems for rescuers. First, the vehicle was a large passenger van which has a taller stance than most passenger vehicles. Second, the van came to rest close to the second vehicle leaving little room to operate. Last, the cable barrier system that ran in the median of I-70 was tensioned around the van, pinning the drivers door. Several plans were formulated to remove the patient through the passenger side of the vehicle, but the patients legs had to be disentangled first and this required that the drivers door be removed and the dash displaced.
The tension on the cable barrier was lowered as much as the system would allow and once everyone was in a safe area, the 3/4" steel cable was cut with Truck 18's Holmatro cutter. This allowed for a quick standard removal of the drivers door, a relief cut to the A pillar, a dash roll, and the removal of the B post and door behind the driver, allowing the patient to finally be removed from the vehicle.
In total seven patients were transported to a trauma center, and one patient to a local hospital. |
