Debris ‘Cocoon’ Helps Save Driver Trapped in Garage Collapse in Dearborn, MI

As firefighters and a technical rescue team worked to free him from his pancaked vehicle in a partially collapsed Dearborn parking deck, the driver remained calm and talked with the crew.

“There were two layers of the parking structure that collapsed onto the vehicle,” Dearborn Assistant Chief of Special Operations Kelly Meister told WDIV Monday.

Firefighters, who handled the incident Friday night, said they were stunned to find how the debris was formed around the occupied car.

Meister, who is also part of the Western Wayne Urban Search and Rescue team and helped coordinate the response, said that the void allowed rescuers to get close enough to reach the driver.

“Once our rescuers were able to break the glass and made physical contact with him, they applied physical pressure to help him from underneath the steering wheel. Then, they helped him out the window."

While that operation was ongoing, other crews were working to stabilizing the remaining structure to prevent further collapse.

“That was our first concern, that this was a horrible situation, and honestly, it’s miraculous it wasn’t. He’s incredibly the luckiest person. He should have bought a lotto ticket that day.”