Surrey Fire Service assistant chief of operations Rich Bodnark has some advice for drivers in the wake of a serious crash on the Port Mann Bridge on Tuesday afternoon (April 2).
The westbound crash, which happened around 1:30 p.m., occurred when a taxi driver slammed into the rear of a Mainroad traffic control truck, sending the driver of the taxi to hospital with serious injuries after he was extricated using the Jaws of Life.
“If there’s a message here, it would be to slow down, pay attention and respect our highway workers,” Bodnark said Wednesday.
About 20 firefighters from Surrey and Coquitlam responded to the collision, along with BC Highway Patrol officers and BC Ambulance Services workers.
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“Upon arrival, crews found a single-occupant passenger vehicle that had rear-ended a Mainroad traffic control vehicle at a high speed. Immediate first aid was given to the driver, who had significant injuries,” said Bodnark, who confirmed Mainroad vehicles were on the bridge so workers could clear debris from the highway.
“Fortunately, (there was) no injury to the drivers of the Mainroad vehicles. Officers in charge developed a rescue action plan to remove the patient from a heavily damaged vehicle… a mutual aid auto extrication took place between Surrey and Coquitlam fire crews working together to free the patient.”
BC Ambulance Service workers transported the driver to Royal Columbian Hospital.
A mutual aid auto extraction between the two fire departments is not a common occurrence, Bodnark noted.
“I want to compliment both departments – they did a phenomenal job working together. In our industry, we call it the golden hour – to get the person to the hospital within an hour – and this whole operation took less than 20 minutes,” he said.
“Both crews deserve accolades. They did a fantastic job.”
BC Highway Patrol is investigating the collision, media relations officer Cpl. Melissa Jongema confirmed.