BREAKING: One Airlifted, Utility Pole Snapped
MILFORD — Extrication of a passenger took approximately 65 minutes following an accident on CR 900N just east of CR 425W, southwest of Milford today, Monday, May 14.
The passenger was airlifted by Lutheran Air to a hospital in Fort Wayne. His condition is not known. The driver of the vehicle was transported to Kosciusko Community Hospital with lacerations. He was able to exit the vehicle under his own power.
Due to the potential for a utility pole to break off, the road remained shut down until NIPSCO crews could arrive to shut off the power and stabilize the pole. The vehicle would not be removed until the pole was declared safe.
Milford Fire Department and Lutheran EMS were notified of the accident at 1:15 p.m. When emergency personnel arrived they found a Pontiac, believed to be a Montana, on its side with the vehicle’s dash board crushed against a utility pole. Inside the vehicle, the male passenger’s legs were trapped under that dashboard. Additionally, the pole was snapped but still intact above their heads.
With a paramedic inside the vehicle with the patient, Milford Firefighters began the extrication process of removing the roof of the vehicle, then the driver’s door to allow more access to work on freeing the passenger’s legs. Firefighters also used extrication equipment to remove all interior seating to remove the patient.
The intricate process took time and patience.