Just after 10pm on Wednesday evening, the West Grove Fire Company was requested to assist the Cochranville Fire Company (27) with an accident with a subject trapped in Londonderry Township, on Route 41 at the intersection with Route 796.
Originally, the WGFC was dispatched to assist with an ambulance as happens whenever Cochranville has an accident in that area. First arriving responders found a serious two car crash -- a station wagon had been T-boned by a work van. When responders discovered the driver of the station wagon was heavily entrapped, they requested the WGFC respond on the rescue assist. That brought WGFC's Engine 22-1 to the scene. Squad 22 was also requested during this call to handle a helicopter landing zone.
Assisting Cochranville, the crews worked together for approximately 30 minutes to free the driver, using hydraulic rescue tools (commonly called the "Jaws of Life"). A helicopter had been summoned to the scene with West Grove's crew handling the landing zone assignment. The patient was treated by EMS at the scene and transported by Christiana Care's helicopter LifeNet61 back to the Trauma Center in Delaware. Ground ambulances also transported several patients to Christiana as well.
LifeNet61 begins to transport a patient who had been trapped at an accident in Londonderry Twp. WGFC was mutual aid for Cochranville Fire Company.
Engine 22-1 on scene.
Rescue crews removed the roof and driver side doors from this station wagon to remove the trapped driver. A rescue spreader can be seen left of the steering wheel, and a chain hook can also be seen on the wheel -- both used to lift the dash up off the entrapped patient.
