After a tractor-trailer flipped over carrying raw chicken, a 9-hour rescue elapsed.
WBMA reported that Officials said that the accident may have been caused by a downed tree. The man driving the truck was trapped inside while the truck was overturned.
Valerie Bell, a reporter, posted on Twitter, “ A major crash led to a nine-hour rescue mission on Interstate 59 southbound in Greene County yesterday.”
A major crash led to a nine-hour rescue mission on Interstate 59 southbound in Greene County yesterday.
Today, we are talking to some of the agencies involved in these life saving efforts. @abc3340 @spann https://t.co/lQ4b7CNfcc pic.twitter.com/9SAL4jxBzO
— Valerie Bell (@vbell_reports) March 24, 2022
The man was successfully rescued after about a dozen agencies responded.
According to Zac Bolding, Greene County EMS director, “Everyone operated within their scope, side by side, regardless of rank, command structure, working extremely smoothly, and everybody did what they could in that moment. From every head of every agency I spoke with, it was probably the longest and most complicated, and extensive heavy rescue operation and medical care operation of a single patient in West Alabama and likely in the entire state.”
Johnny Lee Davis, flight nurse, PHI Air Medic of Mississippi, said, “We train all the time for these rare occurrences and something this bad does happen and it all paid off yesterday.”
It took about nine hours to successfully get him out of the truck safely, with the help of a lot of help from different responding agencies.
All of the first responder agencies included, Greene County E-911, Eutaw Volunteer Fire Department, Greene County EMS, Greene County Sheriff’s Office, Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue, PHI Air Medical, Alabama Office of EMS, UAB SWIFT Team (Surgery forWard Intervention For Trauma,) Tuscaloosa Police Department Aviation Unit, Alabama State Troopers, U.S. Marshall Service, ALEA Aviation Unit, and RAMS Air Medical Unit. Auxiliary agencies who were also involved in this rescue were the Alabama Forestry Commission, ALDOT, and the Alabama Trauma Communications Center.
TuscaloosaFireRescue posted on Twitter, “TFR crews on the scene of an active traffic accident in Greene County at approximately the 33mm on I-59/20. Rescue 27, Battalion, and Truck 31 have been on scene since 6 A.M. assisting multiple other agencies.”
TFR crews on the scene of an active traffic accident in Greene County at approximately the 33mm on I-59/20. Rescue 27, Battalion, and Truck 31 have been on scene since 6 A.M. assisting multiple other agencies. pic.twitter.com/EIczjkdVWw
— TuscaloosaFireRescue (@T_Town_Fire) March 23, 2022
Josh Bankston, flight nurse medic for Columbus and supervisor for the base, said, “It’s even things like the local hospital at DCH knowing we needed more blood products, and they had a police air unit to send us blood to the side of the road because we already used all our supplies.”
Four units of blood had been transferred in addition to the other blood supply that the Tuscaloosa Police Department Aviation Unit had flown in.
Bankston said, “It was a joint process between us and the fire departments to say ‘hey this is our next step’ and everyone would come back together and say we agree and this is where we need to be.”
Smith said, “They did an amazing job, from the very beginning to the volunteer fire department and EMS getting on the scene until our personnel got to the scene to the moment we got him on to the interstate and even brought him down and put him on the helicopter. It wasn’t just one agency that saved the gentleman, it was a multi agency event and I give everyone credit for saving the man’s life.”
When the man was cut free, you could hear the cheers erupting from the marsh, Davis described.
At around 1:30 pm, PHI Air Medical flew the man to UAB.
Bolding said, “That is certainly why we do what we do, and we endeavor to work together and that is exactly what happened yesterday [Wednesday].”
