Lucky To Be Alive


Barry McRoy, Chief, Colleton County S.C. Fire-Rescue


A high speed single car MVC left one patient in critical condition at a Lowcountry Trauma Center in Walterboro, SC. Fire units responded to the 900 block of Quail Drive at 14:45 Tuesday afternoon April 5th. A south‐ bound Oldsmobile Intrigue left the roadway, striking a large tree on the driver’s side. The impact resulted in approximately two and half feet of intrusion into the vehicle, partially ejecting the female driver. She was wearing a seatbelt. A witness to the accident found the woman uncon‐ scious with breathing difficulties. He was able to lay her on the ground to improve her respiration, but her leg was trapped under the vehicle. Firefighter‐Paramedics arrived minutes later and began treatment. Several crewmembers manually lifted the car a few inches to allow other rescuers to extricate her leg. A medical helicopter was requested, but while immobilizing the patient, she stopped breathing, then went into cardiac arrest. The heli‐ copter was canceled. CPR was begun, the patient was moved to Medic 26, where Firefighter‐Paramedics started resuscitative efforts, including IV fluids, medications and placed the patient on a Lucas CPR Device. She was rapidly transported to Colleton Medical Center, in Walterboro, SC .


Once at the ED, the medical staff EMSPROMAG.com 7


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