T-Bone Jammed Door Challenges

[rmoore]

This 4-door vehicle got clobbered pretty hard by a big SUV. The punch drove the passenger's front door not only into the car but lifted it over the rocker channel. This causes a bit more of a challenge than when attacking just a jammed door that isn't pushed in as far.

In this evolution, make sure you determine the position of anyone occupying the seat on that side of the car. It's probably a fatal for them anyway due to head trauma.

If the jammed door does need to be opened, make sure you consider cutting the door off the car first, rather than prying the door open. Cutting is probably going to be your best option. The hinges are probably exposed by the impact. The door latch can be readily accessed for the cutter to attack.

Prying a door like this open at the latch raises a strong possibility of pushing the door into the interior even further. Possibly, a vertical crush action would get it to come out but still, cutting is generally 1st choice.

Train on these evolutions during your hands-on drills; jammed door prying and removing and jammed door cutting only to remove. make sure you are good and prepared for both choices.

[rmoore]

For you smart guys who want to see the other side, here's that side of the scene.

If you are doing "What If...?" scenario training, you'll need to see this side so you can discuss all the patient handling and extrication operations that you might have.

[Rescue101]

What about removing the whole side?

I see an application for a winch here.

[rmoore]

It would be interesting to take a junk car in a training scenario and compare techniques. First, see how long it would take to remove the entire front door, rear door, and B-pillar anyway a crew would like to accomplish that. Then, on the other side, use a crew with a winch line to remove that side.

[Rescue101]

I'd be inclined to try it. Cut front hinges and cut or force back Nadar. Nylon pulling strap around B post Under seat belt Mount and cut the top. Hook the winch cable to the strap and tension it. You may still need to make a couple relief cuts at some point but it would create quite a lot of space. This is the kind of crash where timely removal is usually required. I don't like t-bones from a removal aspect but we seem to do a few nonetheless.

[Bones42]

No winch here and local tow companies not going to be much help on this...but I like the idea. We'd be having to use long ram from other side of vehicle, behind front seats to try to start pushing the side out.

[Eng34FF]

I'd be inclined to try it. Cut front hinges and cut or force back Nadar. Nylon pulling strap around B post Under seat belt Mount and cut the top. Hook the winch cable to the strap and tension it. You may still need to make a couple relief cuts at some point but it would create quite a lot of space. This is the kind of crash where timely removal is usually required. I don't like t-bones from a removal aspect but we seem to do a few nonetheless.

This is how we normally approach this type of accident. If possible, we use spreaders between the roof and b-post (in the b-post cut) to start pushing the side of the car down. Usually that gives us enough room to start making relief cuts and cut through the bottom of the B-post.

[johnsb]

We have a procedure around here (called a rip-n-blitz locally, don't know why), you start at the rear door and pop the Nader pin. You spread the door open out to the B-post, cut it top and bottom, and then cut the front hinges. The doors come off as one unit. Manual force could possibly work to pull the door out but I could see some of the spreading procedures being difficult as the door may want to push in, but using a come-along to pull to the front should help. Also if there are no rear seat passengers, I could see using a ram to push out the door.

[Rescue101]

John,read Ron's notes. Employing that method WITHOUT a winch or side ram CAN cause further intrusion on your patient. Remember that a winch can be as simple as a come along, doesn't have to be a dedocated vehicle mounted winch.I can assure you that a 8000# winch can create quite a lot of space in these types of crashes if you cut as I described earlier.