Car Vs. Powerlines- What Would You Do?

I'm not sure of the background to this incident, but it has been around the internet for some time.

If confronted with this scene and there was a person still in the vehicle, how would you make the scene safe and how would you extricate?

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Permalink Reply by Kurt on April 10, 2008 at 9:02am

Nothing is done until power company secures power. while waiting on power find out if public works or a private company has a heavy truck with a boom , and a heavy tow truck to lower or stabalize. Pt sol you can not make contact if possibly energized and I am not sending my guys (even though I would probally have to lock them in the truck ) around that car while hanging from power lines. Hurricanes have weakened so many poles and lines they pop with a strong wind, I am going to be looking for that thing to let loose if I pull up on this. The damage to the compartment does not look like the pt would be pinned. If we were able to stabalize in position we could go through rear window. Biggest is the power, Secound is making the extraction as safe for our guys and the pt as possible.

Permalink Reply by TOM KLEIST JR on April 11, 2008 at 10:46pm

make sher the power is off.then have a tow truck to help stabl the car

Permalink Reply by lutan1 on April 23, 2008 at 7:37pm

How will the tow truck help with stabilisation? I'm perhaps not thinking outside the box, but I can't see it being of much use.

Permalink Reply by TOM KLEIST JR on April 23, 2008 at 8:30pm

the boom will help get it down. help stablies the car

Permalink Reply by daniel smith on April 24, 2008 at 2:11pm

After the power company denergized the line a tow truck or crane is a great idea to make sure that the car will not snap the lines. Stabilizing might have to be done with rescue jacks or what ever other support system is available (ie. 4x4 posts or what ever can be found if you don't carry the manufactured stuff). It would be interseting to be pt care on that! Backing a flat bed or utility up to the vehicle might give you a good platform to work off of.

Permalink Reply by lutan1 on April 29, 2008 at 8:47pm

To be the devil's advocate, how will rescue jacks or similar be used? The bounce of the car on the wires wil compromise and cause them to move wouldn't it?

Agree with the flatbed being a good working platform....

Permalink Reply by lutan1 on April 29, 2008 at 8:54pm

Just to provoke a bit of thought- what is the contingency (if any?) if the casualty is time critical?

Permalink Reply by lutan1 on April 29, 2008 at 8:54pm

Sorry Tom, to be a nag! How will the boom be used to stabilise? Connect what to where, etc?

Permalink Reply by daniel smith on April 30, 2008 at 12:50pm

You could use the jacks to stablise the car from tipping over or moving laterally. If the advertisements for them are correct you could put alittle lift on them and pick the car up enough to take the bounce out of the wires. Put one on each side,then one on the trunk and one one at the rear axle. Time critical? Air hammer or sawsall to minimise movement and take the roof off. You could also use folding ladders to access the patient.

Permalink Reply by lutan1 on April 30, 2008 at 5:15pm

Good point- not having used the jacks you talk about, I do recall another disucssion on this forum with photos of a car on its roof. You're probably right in terms of what they could do in this situation....

Permalink Reply by Oldman on April 30, 2008 at 5:54pm

Looking at the lines the vehicle is hanging on appear to be telephone/TV cable. But as most have said, let the power company do their thing and let us know for sure. I'm not sure rescue jacks would do much good. However, look at the attaching point for the lines at the pole. There appears to be what we refer to as a "deadman", or a "guy wire" which appears to transverse the undercarriage to an anchor in the ground. This will decrease a lot of movement. As far as extrication, a platform would work well in this situation. If the victim just cannot get out, the platform could be placed along the drivers door, open the door an assist the victim onto the platform. If there were more severe injuries which might require immobilization, the roof could be flapped from the platform, and a rapid extraction onto a backboard on the floor of the platform.

BTW, if I'm not mistaken, this picture was taken in Houston, TX a couple of years ago in 68's district. I believe the driver crawled out and disappeared prior to Fire and PD arrival.

Permalink Reply by TOM KLEIST JR on April 30, 2008 at 10:27pm

your write that will not work. it will not let it fall down