The West Grove Fire Company was dispatched for an auto accident at the intersection of Routes 41 and 841 in London Grove Sunday evening involving entrapment and sent several victims to the area trauma center.

Dispatched at just past 8pm, the call was first dispatched as an accident with unknown injuries, and then was quickly upgraded to an accident with entrapment (meaning victims were trapped in vehicles). That upgrade added advanced life support. Responding to the call were WGFC Engine 22-1 and Rescue 22, along with an ambulance/medic from Longwood (as both the WGFC ambulances and local Medic 94 were on other calls already).

When emergency services units arrived, two vehicles -- a minivan and a pickup truck had collided in the intersection, with two subjects trapped in the pickup. Engine 22-1 began efforts to stabilize the pickup and then began using portable rescue tools (often called the "Jaws of Life") to start efforts to free the victims. They were joined by crews from Rescue 22 -- together those teams used battery-powered and hydraulic-powered tools to remove all four doors from the pickup to gain access to the patients.

EMS crews from Longwood and Oxford assisted firefighters, caring for the patients during the extrication process. The first patient was extricated approximately 30 minutes after dispatch, and the second was successfully removed a few minutes later. Patients were transported to the Christiana Hospital trauma center for further treatment.

Fire police had both roadways blocked during the operation, with the roadways closed for nearly two hours during the rescue and police investigation.