Firefighters covered a woman with a tarp and cut off the roof of her car while she was still inside the vehicle during a dramatic rescue on Okotoks main roadway Wednesday afternoon.
Firefighters covered a woman with a tarp and cut off the roof of her car while she was still inside the vehicle during a dramatic rescue on Okotoks main roadway Wednesday afternoon.
The 71-year-old driver of a Dodge Magnum station wagon was trapped in her car after she was struck by an oncoming SUV. Const Darrin Lukay of the Okotoks said the driver of the Magnum was turning left onto Big Rock Trail from Southridge Drive when the southbound SUV hit her car head on. The Magnum spun and became wedged between the light standard and a road sign at the west corner of Big Rock Trail and Southridge Drive.
Firefighters had to use the jaws of life to cut off her roof, covering the driver with a tarp to ensure no debris fell on her while they snapped the metal.
It took close to 20 minutes for firefighters to cut the metal and two attempts to lift the roof. A firefighter held her head while the roof came off. The woman inside was conscious and breathing. She was taken to hospital in stable condition by ambulance to High River Hospital.
The driver of the SUV, a woman in her 30s from Okotoks, was also taken to the High River hospital in stable condition by ambulance. She was able to get out of her vehicle following the crash and walk around, but required medical attention.
One person witnessed the crash and gave a statement to police.
Southbound Southridge Drive was down to one lane for at least one hour while the woman was extracted and firefighters cleaned up the scene.
Police are still investigating the collision.
