Crews Lift Vehicle to Free Trapped Conn. Man

April 21, 2014
Fairfield Assistant Chief Erik Kalapir said firefighters decided to do it manually.

April 21--FAIRFIELD -- Emergency personnel lifted a pick-up truck to save an elderly man who was wedged between the vehicle and a garage door just before 6 p.m. Sunday.

Franc Us, 86, was taken to Saint Vincent's Medical Center with severe injuries, according to a police press release

Emergency services responded to call from a neighbor on Stratfield Road who heard Us calling for help. Us was wedged between the door of his pick-up truck and the doorjamb of the garage.

Fairfield assistant fire Chief Erik Kalapir said Sunday night that emergency services personnel decided to lift up the truck by hand after considering using the jaws of life, removing part of the garage wall or using air bags to lift the truck.

A press release from the Fairfield Fire Department read that "... multiple options ... were contemplated to free the trapped elderly man, but it was low-tech brute strength teamwork with the assistance of on scene Police officers that helped free the patient."

Kalapir said about six emergency responders lifted the vehicle.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

Copyright 2014 - The Hartford Courant

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