Several Portland firefighters heroically rescued a teenager who was trapped under a truck after being involved in a crash last week. The accident also left two others with serious injuries.
The one-vehicle crash involving three teenagers occurred shortly before 2 a.m. on Sept. 25. Police believe that the driver of the vehicle was speeding when he lost control of the truck. According to reports, the truck rolled over on North Lombard after the vehicle began to skid out of control near Rivergate Boulevard. The vehicle then struck a tree and came to a rest on its side.
All three teens were ejected from the truck during the incident.
When rescue crews responded to the scene, they found a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old in a field. The 15-year-old was a passenger. He was hurt but none of his injuries were life-threatening. The 17-year-old had been driving the vehicle at the time of the crash. Police later commented that the driver’s injuries were life-threatening.
The third teen, also 15, was found pinned under the crashed truck. One of the responding firefighter’s with Portland Fire and Rescue commented that they all understood how important it was to get the truck off of the pinned teen as soon as possible. “Sometimes, time is the most important thing,” he said. The firefighters used their own strength to lift the vehicle off of the teen so that he could be taken to a hospital as soon as possible.
After investigating the nearly fatal crash, Portland officers reported that the driver of the vehicle most likely lost control of the truck due to speeding and driving under the influence. He could also face charges for reckless endangering.
Many young drivers do not understand the serious danger they put their passengers in when driving recklessly. Although it may all seem like fun and games at first, the consequences of being involved in an accident caused by reckless driving are often serious or fatal.
Source: KPTV, “Three hurt in rollover crash; firefighters life truck off teen,” Sept. 26, 2011
