Phoenix Firefighters Use Airbags in Rail Accidents

Feb. 28, 2019
Crews saved a man who was hit by a light rail train and pinned beneath it Wednesday by using the lifesaving device to lift the train off the rails.

Phoenix firefighters used a special airbag system to rescue two people who were hit and pinned by light rail trains. The most recent accident happened Wednesday when a man was trapped beneath the train.

After the lifesaving device was used at the scene Wednesday, firefighters pulled out the man, who was still alive, KPHO-TV reports. He was taken in critical condition to a local trauma hospital.

The Phoenix Fire Department trains for these types of incidents, and a heavy rescue truck is sent to the scene. The airbags can lift 50 tons off a victim, and it only took firefighters seven minutes to inflate the bags and pull out the man who had been trapped in Wednesday's accident.

"They’re real simple to use. They're fast to put into operation. They're definitely lifesaving for sure," Capt. Greg Hawk told KPHO.