EXTRACTION TOOLS USED FOLLOWING SERIOUS COLLISION ON TCH

(May 22)

Emergency crews responded to a serious multi-vehicle collision on the Trans-Canada Highway just west of Pitts Memorial Drive in St. John’s shortly after 12:00 p.m. Friday.

Firefighters with the SJRFD, along with Officers with the RNC, RCMP, and NL Health Services paramedics, arrived to find two significantly damaged vehicles in the highway median, as well as a third damaged vehicle in the westbound lanes.

One of the vehicles, a sedan, sustained extensive damage and firefighters used hydraulic rescue tools to remove the doors and roof in order to free a trapped occupant. The extraction took approximately 30 minutes to complete before the individual was removed from the wreckage and taken into the care of paramedics.

Traffic was reduced to a single lane in both directions on the TCH for approximately 6 hours while emergency crews worked at the scene and investigators began examining the crash.

Based on the scene, it appears the collision occurred after an eastbound vehicle crossed the median and struck a westbound vehicle. RCMP Collision Reconstructionists were called in to assist with the investigation.

The cause of the collision remains under investigation.