JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Firefighters had to cut a man out of a small car that was crushed between a recreational vehicle and the guardrail Friday in a multivehicle crash on Interstate 95 near J. Turner Butler Boulevard.
One occupant of the car, which was struck about 12:30 p.m., managed to get himself out but was hospitalized with injuries. Sky 4 aerials showed firefighters using a ladder to leverage the RV to get access to the car.
UNCUT: Sky4 video captures dramatic rescue
District Chief Robin Gainey said crews had to take off both doors and the roof before tunneling through the vehicle to reach the second patient.
"He was in better medical condition than we would have expected given the amount of damage to the car and the length of the extrication," Gainey said.
The man was hospitalized with serious injuries.
A look at what crews faced on I95 today ..... pic.twitter.com/ngPkXAksKU
— MyJFRD (@JFRDJAX) March 8, 2019
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating how the crash occurred and learning the names of the people involved. This report will be updated as soon as the preliminary report is released.
All northbound lanes were closed for about 90 minutes while rescue operations were underway. All three lanes reopened shortly before 5 p.m. but traffic remained very slow in the area as rush hour began.