Crash closes Hwy. 140
An Ornge air ambulance airlifted a man to a trauma centre following a serious crash on Highway 140 Tuesday morning.
The two-vehicle crash involved a car and cube van in the southbound lanes of the highway, with the car pinned under the back of the cube van.
It occurred just north of Buchner Road at about 8:10 a.m.
Peter Senese, who was just in front of the cube van, said a school bus was stopped on the highway about to make a left turn on to Buchner Road when the crash happened. He said there were three vehicles between him and the bus. “Everyone was stopped in front of me, when I saw the cube van move forward. It tapped my car,” said Senese.
Senese got out of his vehicle and said the cube van driver also got out and then yelled for someone to call 911.
“I grabbed my cell(phone) and called. The person (in the car) looked unconscious and then started to come to. A nurse showed up on scene and started to talk and tend to him. A lot of people stopped to help,” he said.
Welland Fire and Emergency Services Chief Brian Kennedy said four fire trucks responded to the scene with career firefighters onboard.
“It was a technical extrication for sure. It was a tough call because of the severity of the damage to vehicle,” said Kennedy at the scene as rain came down.
He said firefighters had to lift the cube van off the front of end of the car in order to free the driver’s legs and gain access to him. Firefighters took doors off the driver’s side of the car to allow Niagara Emergency Medical Services paramedics access to the driver.
“Our guys did a great job. We always talk about the Golden Hour, giving patients good survivability chances. The extrication took 45 to 50 minutes,” the chief said.
When Welland firefighters arrived on scene, they advised fire dispatch to put Ornge air ambulance on alert for a possible airlift. The helicopter was dispatched and arrived at 8:50 a.m., landing on the highway just south of Buchner Road.
Once the patient was freed, paramedics transported him in an ambulance to the waiting helicopter just up the highway. The driver of the cube van was treated by paramedics, and it was unknown if he was taken to hospital.
Niagara OPP blocked Highway 140 from East Main Street to Netherby Road, and Buchner Road between Highway 140 and Doan’s Ridge Road was blocked for a period of time as well. Niagara Regional Police were also on scene assisting with blocking the highway.
There was no word on the cause of the crash or the condition of either driver.