Firefighters recount battle to pull woman from car pinned under dump truck
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - Assistant Chief Greg Rucker said it took 30 DeKalb County firefighters to save the woman whose SUV was crushed by a dump truck during a horrible crash on Rogers Lake Road on Monday afternoon.
"The car was smashed flat and you could tell the entire weight of the dump truck was sitting on top of the car. It was a lot of chaos to begin with and a lot to take in when we arrived," the assistant chief said. "They had reported a fire in the compartment of the dump truck and the vehicles were not stable in the mud."
FIRE CREWS RESCUE WOMAN TRAPPED IN CAR PINNED UNDER DUMP TRUCK
First responders are working to free people trapped in a two-vehicle crash involving an overturned dump truck.
Captain Scott Votava hustled to make contact with the woman whose legs were pinned toward the backseat.
"I was kind of surprised to hear her respond with the amount of damage the vehicle had sustained. It was amazing," said the captain.
The rescue was methodical. Crews had to stabilize the truck first, then cut away at the SUV, then shift the weight of the 50,000 pound truck from the SUV to reach the woman and pull her to safety. The rescue operation took an hour, 42 minutes, according to the chief.
"A couple of times, she did ask if we were going to get her out and I assured her were working on it and that it was just a little more complicated than the average car accident, and she hung in there. It was amazing," said Captain Votava, who's been with DeKalb Fire Rescue for 20 years.
"It's definitely a relief and we don't always get to see the positive outcome so there were a lot of smiles out there. I'm just proud of the entire team and their training," said Chief Rucker.
The dump truck driver was cited for failure to maintain a lane. The woman, whose name and condition have not yet been released, is in her sixties. Authorities said she was conscious, speaking and able to move her limbs when she was flown to a hospital Monday afternoon.