On May 20, a dump truck driver was rescued from the residence in Woodbury Heights, New Jersey, that he had smashed into. This was made possible by the prompt and competent response of members of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF).
The footage from the truck’s dashboard camera shows the driver lose control of the vehicle after what was subsequently determined to be a seizure. Afterward, the truck ripped through a power pole, jumped a curb, and smashed into a house, with the homeowner still inside the house at the time of the accident.
In South Jersey, there are just a few search and rescue teams who have received the necessary training to demonstrate the technical skills necessary to respond to and carry out complex rescue operations. Camden County Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) was the nearest team that was available. It was comprised of members of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) from Camden Local 788, Camden Officers Local 2578, Camden County Local 3249, Cherry Hill Local 2663, and Cherry Hill Officers Local 3198.
The homeowner had already left the house by the time we arrived,” the police officer said. The truck driver, however, was still stuck inside the vehicle, surrounded by furniture and debris, according to Sean Carlin, a member of Local 3198 who responded to the scene. Due to the fact that the collision had also resulted in a gas leak, our primary objective was to get the situation under control.
At the same time as the United States Army Reserves team was using mechanical struts to prevent the house from falling in even deeper, the utility company was contacted to cut off the gas valves. For the team to be able to access the truck door, they had to first remove the side of the house and then remove the furniture and debris that was inside the house.
Dave Schlessinger, a member of Local 3249 who also reacted to the incident, stated that although the team does not frequently encounter an emergency of this size, they do regularly train together in preparation for the possibility that they will. “There is not a lot of guesswork because we train together,” the speaker said. All of us are just focussing on our tasks and making sure that anyone who is trapped is rescued as quickly as possible.
Even after the struts were installed and the furniture and debris were removed, the United States Air Force Rescue team still needed to use extreme caution in order to safely extract the driver from the vehicle.
It is true that training is the most important factor in achieving that great outcome, as Carlin stated. We took extreme precautions to construct a chute system out of wooden planks so that we could slide him out of the basket. This was done because we wanted to add as little weight as possible. We were all relieved that he was able to escape without injury.
It was determined that the homeowner and the truck driver needed medical attention, so they were both sent to a neighboring hospital. A non-life-threatening injury was determined to have occurred.
