VOLUNTEERS from the Werribee Fire Brigade were forced to cut a man from a car following a serious crash earlier this month.
First Lieutenant Darryl Wells said crews from Werribee, Hoppers Crossing and Wyndham Vale attended the crash on the Maltby Bypass, near the Western Interchange, at around 8.15am on Friday 4 March.
“Crews were confronted with a two vehicle accident in the Melbourne bound lane near the Farm Rd overpass, with a 24-year-old male trapped by the lower limbs in one vehicle,” First Lt Wells said.
“The driver from that vehicle had self-extricated and was sitting injured on the side of the Highway. The female driver of the other vehicle was uninjured.”
The firefighters started medical treatment on the injured male driver while they were waiting for paramedics to arrive and they also started to free the trapped passenger.
“The vehicle with the entrapment was stabilised, to prevent movement, the left side was removed and the roof folded to the rear using hydraulic cutters and spreaders,” First Lt Wells said.
“Paramedics arrived at this time and this procedure allowed them better access to treat the patient.
The volunteer fire brigade rescue crew, using techniques they evolved whilst competing in international rescue challenges, commenced the intricate procedure of removing the patient from the tangled wreckage of the car.
“Using Hydraulic spreaders and rams as well as a range of hand tools the patient was removed from the vehicle after some twenty minutes. The patient was then stabilised by Paramedics on scene and transported to hospital.”
Following the crash First Lt Wells urged all drivers to play it safe on Wyndham’s roads.
“Werribee fire brigade is the busiest CFA volunteer rescue brigade in Victoria. This is a sad indictment to the road users of Wyndham and their driving habits,” he said.
