You never know when you might be asked to save another person’s life. That’s what a crew operating a crane in Idaho was asked to do by police and firefighters after they received a report of a woman whose vehicle was stuck beneath a truck due to a crash. The strangers swiftly responded and drove to the scene of the crash as quickly as possible. Authorities say the woman’s life was saved in large part due to their efforts.
Firefighters ask for aid from a passing crane crew
On November 3 at around 7:01 a.m., the Payette County Dispatch Center received a 911 call concerning a woman who was trapped inside her vehicle after she had crashed at an intersection of Highway 52 and Highway 72 in New Plymouth, according to a post by the Payette County Sheriff’s Office on its official Facebook page.
Photographs taken of the scene shows the chaotic aftermath of the collision. On image reveals the woman’s gray Ford almost on its side in a ditch as a mangled white truck rests on top of the vehicle. With the Ford stuck in the dirt, the female driver would not have been able to open her door and there would not have been any exit on the other side due to the truck blocking the doors.
The trunk of the Ford was able to be opened, but it apparently wasn’t a viable exit either, though it would at least allow the woman to communicate with deputies on the scene.
The sheriff’s office said that multiple agencies responded to the accident, including Payette County Paramedics, Sand Hollow Fire Protection District, Payette Fire Department, and New Plymouth Fire Protection District.
When firefighters from New Plymouth and Sand Hollow arrived at the scene, they realized that they would need help getting the truck off the woman’s car. Serendipitously, they spotted a vehicle with a large crane that happened to be passing by in the opposite direction. Recognizing that the crane was what they needed for this emergency, they contacted Deputy Travis Downey from Payette County to flag the vehicle down and ask the operator for assistance.
Downey rushed toward the crane, which was operated by a crew from Orizabas Crane Service from Emmett. According to Bizapedia, the Orizabas Crane Service is owned by Alejandro Orizaba and is located at 2365 Mill Rd. The crew learned what was happening from the deputy and “came to the scene right away to help however they could.”
Another bystander assisted the woman before EMS arrived
The post doesn’t go into detail about what the crane crew did, but one image shows the crane parked next to a fire truck from the Sand Hollow Fire Department. Another photo shows it picking up the white truck into the air after it was secured by ropes connected to each of the truck’s wheels.
Sheriff Andy Creech thanked the crew for their help in the rescue: “We truly believe because of the quick thinking, willingness to help and selfless actions of the Orizabas Crane Service crew, this woman’s life was saved. We cannot thank him enough.”
The sheriff’s office was also grateful for another bystander, a nurse who had witnessed the crash and provided the woman life-saving aid before emergency crews arrived.
As a result of the Good Samaritans, the woman only sustained minor injuries and was taken to the hospital by Payette County Paramedics. She is “expected to be okay,” according to the post. The driver and passengers in the pickup truck did not sustain any injuries.
“This is what community is about: strangers stepping up without hesitation when someone needs help the most,” Creech continued. “To Orizabas Crane Service, the nurse who stepped in and every emergency responder on scene, thank you. Your actions will not be forgotten.”
