Emergency responders from West Grove Fire Company handled an auto crash call very early Christmas morning that left one person injured and a car split in half.

At 2:00am, Troopers from the PA State Police driving along the northbound Route 1 Bypass noticed a strong odor of gasoline and began to investigate. Flagged down by motorists, they found a crash scene along the side of the road just before the West Grove exit. A car traveling at a high speed left the roadway, crashing into and over the guiderail and into some trees. The wreckage wound up in the back yard of a residence on Haines Circle in West Grove.

WGFC was dispatched for the call and directed to the Haines Circle address. Troopers indicated the car's occupant had a head injury, and Paramedics from Medic 94 were also dispatched. Engine 22-1 positioned at Haines Circle and assisted the Troopers in securing the wreckage which was in the woods behind the residence, along Route 1. Firefighters discovered that the car hit a tree approximately 30 feet after hitting the guiderail. The car was broken in half -- with the rear half of the car landing nearly 90 feet further into the woods. The car's engine broke away from the car and was 60 feet away as well.

EMTs from WGFC and the Medic 94 crew transported the patient to Christiana Hospital. WGFC crews provided a safety zone along the northbound lanes of Route 1 so that wreckers could remove the car parts safely from the woods. Crews were on scene for approximately 2.5 hours.