Passersby who saw an SUV had crashed into a water-filled drainage ditch at an Interstate 10 on ramp “jumped into action,” holding the driver’s head out of water until help arrived, an official said.
The driver, a man from Illinois, had been traveling on Kiln-DeLisle Road and was turning right to head east on I-10 when he crashed at about 4:50 p.m. Saturday, Mississippi Highway Patrol Master Sgt. Chase Elkins said.
The SUV overturned, coming to rest on the driver’s side in a watery ditch near DeLisle/Pass Christian Exit 20, trapping the driver.
Some off-duty firefighters and police officers who were passing by stopped and realized the driver was pinned in the SUV and couldn’t keep his head out of the water, Harrison County Fire Chief Pat Sullivan said.
They held up his head until fire and rescue units arrived and stabilized the vehicle so they could remove him safely, Sullivan said. The water was not deep, but was deep enough to endanger the injured man, he said.
The driver “is lucky to be alive,” Sullivan said.
An American Medical Response ambulance crew took the man to Garden Park Medical Center for what was believed to be moderate injuries, Elkins said.
Responding agencies include West Harrison and Pass Christian fire departments, the Combat Readiness Training Center from Gulfport and Harrison County Fire Service.
What happened to cause the crash is unclear.
The highway patrol is investigating.
———
©2018 The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.)
Visit The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.) at www.sunherald.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
