At about 1:30 p.m., Monday, April 6, firefighters and paramedics from the Landover area were alerted to a motor vehicle crash with entrapment. Fire/EMS units arrived in the 6300 block of Landover Road and discovered a single vehicle, Ford Expedition, for whatever reasons, left the roadway, jumped a guardrail and overturned down a 30 foot embankment, landing upright.
Firefighters used ladders extended on the ground to assist with the hazardous footing going up and down the embankment. The best access to the vehicle was off of the west bound lanes of Route 50 just after the Route 202 overpass, which is where the multiple ambulances and paramedics staged.
The vehicle had seven occupants, 3 adults and 4 children. Firefighters initiated immediate medical treatment of the injured and worked to extricate the occupants. After initial victim assessments it did not appear that any of the occupants had sustained any serious injuries. It required about 30 minutes to remove the roof of the vehicle and package the occupants for transport.
Four children ranging in age from 4 to 13 and three adults, ranging in age from 24 to 47 were transported to various area hospitals for evaluation and treatment of what appeared to be minor injuries despite the brutal crash.
A total of one engine company, two heavy duty rescue squads, two paramedic units, four ambulances and two command officers operated on this incident for about an hour before all patients were transported.
