Maryland Firefighters Face Challenging Extrication

BRANDYWINE, Md. – Prince George’s County Firefighter/Medics were faced with a challenging extrication this morning in Brandywine.  At around 8:00 am Fire/EMS units were alerted to an incident involving a tractor trailer turning over and trapping the driver underneath the cab of the truck.  Units located the incident on the grounds of a gravel pit in the 14700 block of Gibbons Church Road in Brandywine.

An open bed tractor trailer was in the process of dumping it’s load of gravel and had the bed of the truck elevated in the dump position.  The truck started to list towards it’s left and quickly fell onto it’s side trapping the driver between the gravel ground and the cab of the truck.  The patient, an adult male, remained conscious and communicated with his rescuers throughout the rescue.  After stabilizing the truck firefighters used their heavy-duty hydraulic tools to start cutting away the cab of the truck and remove the parts that were pinning the victim underneath the truck.

After about 40 minutes of work the patient was able to be safely removed.  The Maryland State Police meda-vac helicopter “Trooper 2” had been summoned and was standing-by at a nearby church parking lot.  Paramedics on the scene of the rescue packaged the patient before a quick trip by helicopter to a trauma center.  The victim was suffering from serious injuries to his legs.  His injuries are considered non-life threatening.

The incident commander, Battalion Chief Denice L. Dickens, had requested the Fire/EMS Departments Technical Services Team to the scene in the event their services would be needed, however, the heavy-duty rescue squad from the Brandywine Fire/EMS Station had successfully extricated the patient before the specialty teams arrival.