Extended Extrication Taxing for Pa. Crews

July 12, 2013
It took more than 90 minutes to free the driver from the cab of his tractor-trailer.

July 12--Traffic was slowed along a stretch of Interstate 90 on Thursday as rescue crews spent an hour and a half rescuing a Somerset man from the cab of a tractor-trailer that flipped.

George A. Matton, 59, the driver, was taken to UPMC Hamot for treatment after the truck cab and its box trailer rolled over and went down an embankment about 20 feet off the westbound lanes of I-90, about one mile west of the Bayfront Connector exit in Harborcreek Township.

Matton was listed in serious condition Thursday night, a Hamot nursing supervisor said.

The accident was reported at 8:51 a.m. Thursday, according to East County dispatch.

One westbound lane was closed as firefighters worked to free Matton from the wrecked cab. The driver was "heavily trapped" and the heat was "taking a toll on the guys" as they worked to free the man, said Campy Dahlkemper, assistant chief of the Brookside Volunteer Fire Co.

Brookside firefighters were assisted at the scene by crews from the Harborcreek, Kuhl Hose, Wesleyville and Belle Valley fire departments. EmergyCare was also called to the scene, as was the Erie County Hazardous Materials Response Team.

The team was called to the scene by firefighters because the truck's fuel tanks were leaking, Erie County Emergency Management Agency Director Dale Robinson said. Officials believe about 150 gallons of diesel fuel leaked from the tanks, he said.

Firefighters and hazmat members contained the spilled fuel with booms, pads and an "underflow dam," Robinson said. The trucking company is responsible for cleaning up the spill once contained, he said.

One westbound lane of I-90 remained closed late Thursday.

TIM HAHN can be reached at 870-1731 or by e-mail. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ETNhahn.

Copyright 2013 - Erie Times-News, Pa.

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