Story and photos contributed to Fire & Film by Adam Burke
LUZERNE COUNTY, PA – At 19:46 hours on the 17th of August 2011, Luzerne County Communications Center dispatched Hazle Twp. Fire/Rescue and APTS Medic 11 to 457 Susquehanna Blvd. (State Rt. 93) in front of the Radio Shack for a vehicle into a pole with reported injuries.
Rescue 101 and Chief 102 signed on immediately after first dispatch and were given additional that numerous calls were received and they may have a vehicle split in half. APTS also signed on with 2 ALS and 1 BLS Unit responding to the scene.
Hazle Twp. Portable 1054 arrived first and reported a vehicle split in half with a pole sheared in the middle. He reported 2 patients, 1 being entrapped in the vehicle and the other self extricated.
Chief 102 then arrived and took Rt. 93 command. Rescue 101 arrived and was told to place in the parking lot of Radio Shack next to the “front” of the vehicle involved. The Rescue crew cribbed the vehicle and then used the Hurst 40’s and O-Cutters to remove the rear passenger side door and what was left of the roof. The patient was extricated within minutes of the Rescue Company arriving.
Both patient’s were packaged by EMS and FD personnel and then transported to a landing zone. Due to the mechanism of injury, both were flown to area trauma centers with unknown injuries. Both patient’s were conscious and talking while being treated at the scene.
Hazle Twp. Engine/Rescue 103 and Squad 109 also responded and assisted at the scene. State Police Hazleton Barracks also had multiple Troopers on the scene investigating.
At 21:25 hours, the Squad and Rescue were requested back to the scene by PSP for traffic control and lighting during there reconstruction of the incident. The investigation is still pending.
