Photos and info via Frank Hammond, Tri-State Towing
On Monday, June 21, 2021, at approximately 10:00, Tri-State Towing was dispatched to a commercial vehicle accident to assist Poole and Dixon (KY) Fire Departments with extrication. The incident involved a Freightliner Columbia semi tractor with a 38-foot dump trailer loaded with wheat. The vehicle lost control and left the roadway, causing them to violently disconnect. The truck came to rest upside down in the ditch partially hung on the trailer. The driver was pinned in the crushed semi cab.
Upon arrival, Poole and Dixon Fire Departments stabilized the vehicle, established patient care, and began extrication. The passenger side door was popped and secured to an apparatus. Due to the heavy impingement on the driver’s side, the patients legs were pinned.
Immediately after receiving the call for assistance, Tri-State Towing responded with two 65-ton rotators and a 35-ton heavy wrecker, with the latter unit being the first to arrive on scene. After speaking with incident commander, this unit was positioned to lift the tractor.
RELATED
Steve White: Calling for Heavy Wreckers
THE USE OF CRANES AND HEAVY EQUIPMENT IN RESCUE AND HAZ MAT
After creating some space between the cab and ground, the area was cribbed to capture progress. Purchase points were created at the driver’s door to gain access to the patient’s legs. Spreaders, a recip saw, and a combo tool were used to free his legs from the dash and windshield area. The patient was then flown from the scene to Evansville, Indiana, for the treatment of leg, ankle, and potential internal injuries.
Final resting place of truck and trailer 
Passenger side access to patient 
Gaining access to the patient’s entrapped legs 
Driver’s door, roof, and floor 
Cab condition after recovery
