COAL BROOK – During the prolonged power outage that hit most of the Southwest Coast on Saturday, Dec. 19, the Channel-Port aux Basques Volunteer Fire Department responded to to a single vehicle accident at Coal Brook, South Branch.
The call, which involved a tractor-trailer, came in at around 7:45 p.m. and seven members of the department responded. The Jaws of Life were necessary to extract the transport driver, who had become trapped in the wreckage. Members of the RCMP, the Codroy Valley Fire Department and the ambulance service also responded to the accident scene.
“The tractor-trailer was off the road and the driver was still trapped inside the wrecked vehicle. Upon arrival we set up our scene lighting and starting cutting through the metal using the Jaws of Life,” stated Fire Chief Jerry Musseau via e-mail.
Musseau stated that there was a huge amount of mangled metal and it took the fire department approximately 30 or 40 minutes to cut through some of the debris to extract the driver. The driver remained conscious, although bloodied and scratched, and blood was visible on the inside of the vehicle, reported Musseau. Once the driver was removed from the demolished truck he was transported by the ambulance service to the Dr. Charles L. LeGrow Medical Centre in Port aux Basques.
“At the time road and weather conditions were good but the truck was demolished,” observed Musseau. “It was my understanding the driver did survive the accident and may still be in hospital at Port aux Basques.”
The cause of the accident is unknown.
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