Tones sounded at 1:38 p.m. on Aug. 19 announcing a head-on crash at the intersection of Centralia and Salem Church roads in Chesterfield County.
Initially dispatched were Engine 17, Medic 17 and county police. Crews reported multiple victims injured and one victim trapped.
The call was upgraded, and E15, Truck 14, Bensley Bermuda Volunteer Rescue Squad, Battalion #1, Battalion #4, and the EMS Officer were dispatched.
County police closed the road and monitored the perimeter so crews could work. A crowd had gathered and watched the rescue unfold before their eyes.
Firefighters and medics divided up into teams with each in charge of a vehicle. A car had the trapped victim. A hand line had been stretched and was near both vehicles in case of fire erupting. There was a mini-van occupied by several people including children.
A quick assessment of the trapped victim and an extrication was initiated.
Across the roadway, lay a broken bumper and bits of metal strewn like straw pieces that had been tossed in the wind.
The hum of the hydraulic tool filled the air, and in minutes a pop signaled that the crushed and jammed door had lost its grip and opened.
Across the road, medics worked to package the other three patients.
The car team gathered at the door and slowly removed the patient, back boarding and packaging her for transport.
Sirens soon were wailing as the patients were on their way to local hospitals.
Conditions of the patients have not been released. The accident is under investigation.
