Emergency workers responded to a rollover accident on Highlands Boulevard on Nov. 21.
Bella Vista police officer Ken Sabby said the single-involved vehicle appeared to have veered off the road near the intersection of Highlands Blvd. and Francis Drive. It appeared the vehicle hit a tree, which sent it spinning before it hit another tree and rolled into the ravine and stopped on its side.
"It looks like he just wasn't able to gain control," Sabby said.
Emergency medical personnel extricated and transported a single patient.
Scott Cranford, the Bella Vista Fire Department's training division chief, said that rollovers accidents are among the most fatal.
Once on-scene, he said, firefighters stabilized the car with blocks and stabilizing struts while doing their best to assess a patient who is still trapped in the vehicle. The next priorities are creating access to that patient and protecting him or her, he explained.
With a vehicle on its side, emergency workers removed its windshield and cut the uppermost portion of the roof from the body before pulling it down against the ground. This created a barrier between the patient and the rocky ground, Cranford explained.
Once they had access, medical personnel worked to stabilize the patient's spine as they extracted him from the vehicle on a spine board.
Cranford said six to eight firefighters carried the patient for increased safety on the steep, leaf-covered hill before loading him onto a cot and into the ambulance, where he was assessed and then transported.
Additionally, he said, a medical helicopter was on standby with a landing zone chosen in case the patient needed an emergency flight.
While fire and EMS personnel extricated the patient, streets department and police personnel managed traffic, which made the operation much more efficient, Cranford said.
General News on 11/28/2018