Oceanside CA— The Oceanside Fire and Police Departments responded to reports of a single car accident on Frazee Rd at 8:09 Sunday night, February 1, 2015. When firefighters arrived, they found a white, early 2000’s model, Toyota Corolla wrapped around a tree on the northbound side of Frazee, just south of Caesar Chavez Middle School, with a single occupant trapped inside.
An off duty paramedic from San Bernardino County was already in the vehicle, rendering care to the driver. The unidentified paramedic had been driving by when he came across the accident and crawled into the vehicle to ensure the patient did not attempt to move. Fire crews quickly stabilized the vehicle, changed places with the paramedic inside and began the process of determining how best to peel the badly damaged car away from the 18 year old male occupant.
“We used every tool we had to extricate the driver” said Oceanside Battalion Chief, Peter Lawrence. “It was one of the more significant extrication’s we have had in a while” continued the Chief “The extrication was made more difficult because the car not only bent inwards onto the driver but both the front and rear ends bent upwards around the driver.”
It took 16 firefighters 36 minutes to cut the unidentified 18 year-old male driver from the vehicle. The driver, who sustained major leg injuries, was transported by ambulance to the Oceanside Airport where he was transferred to REACH air ambulance and flown to Scripps La Jolla.
Oceanside Police Lieutenant Valencia Saadat said the cause of the crash was unknown and the investigation is continuing.
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Photos: Steve Marcotte / OsideNews