(Fox5) – Firefighters in DeKalb County made a dramatic rescue of a man whose car was crushed by a massive tree as he drove down a busy roadway Thursday afternoon.
It happened as the man was driving his Toyota Camry west along Lavista Road near Brook Forest Drive during one of the storms. Firefighters hustled to get the scene and get work trying to get the driver out safely out of the vehicle.
“It was horrible because when I looked inside the car, I could see the trunk across his torso and he wasn’t moving,” said one witness who spoke to FOX 5′ Portia Bruner.
Firefighters quickly retrieved extrication tools to rescue the man trapped inside his crushed car, but operating in rain and maneuvering through downed power lines made for a delicate operation. Rescuers had to clear tree debris and power lines to get access to the driver. Emergency workers entered from the rear of the vehicle to get the victim out.
“First we had to stabilize the car and the tree because the car was still running and his foot was still on the gas after the tree crushed the hood. We had to address that before we could begin the extrication process,” said DeKalb County Fire Battalion Chief Ken McKinney.
After removing several sections of the vehicle, firefighters climbed inside through the back and carefully pulled the driver from the side of the car. Chief McKinney said the driver was in critical condition, semi-conscious and breathing on his own after the rescue. He was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment.
