A man was critically injured yesterday afternoon near New Fairview when his truck fell on him while he was underneath it conducting repairs. Emergency crews rushed to the scene and had the patient flown by helicopter to a Fort Worth trauma center within hours.
Wise County EMS Chief Randall Preuninger said the patient was flown to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth by Air Evac Lifeteam 68, according to a report from the Wise County Messenger. The response drew multiple specialized ground units, including Wise County EMS's Rescue 1, Squad 1, and Medic 4, along with personnel from New Fairview Fire Rescue, per the same outlet's reporting.
Rapid Airlift to a Level I Trauma Center
Air Evac Lifeteam 68 transported the patient to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital, the same aircraft that operates out of a permanent flight base on Medical Center Drive in Decatur, positioned for fast deployment across rural Wise County, according to Air Evac Lifeteam. The Fort Worth hospital was redesignated in February 2026 as a Level I Comprehensive Trauma Facility by the Texas Department of State Health Services, following its initial verification in 2023, according to Texas Health Resources. Level I facilities maintain 24-hour in-house surgical staff and comprehensive subspecialized trauma care, a level of readiness that made the hospital the destination for the critically injured man.
The exact mechanics of how the truck came down on the man have not been detailed publicly, and his identity and current medical status remain unknown. This is the same medevac and trauma-center pairing Wise County has relied on before: on July 1, 2026, a teenage driver involved in a rollover crash on Farm Road 2264 near New Fairview was also flown by Air Evac Lifeteam 68 to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in critical condition, according to the Wise County Messenger.
Local Emergency Coverage Built for Fast Response
New Fairview's location along that same stretch of FM 2264 is served by an East Wise Fire Rescue station under municipal service agreements, coverage that has reduced local emergency response times to under 10 minutes, according to a City of New Fairview ArcGIS story map. Wise County EMS Station 4 opened in New Fairview back in June 2022 specifically to expand medical coverage and cut response times across the southeastern part of the county. The county has continued building out that network since, opening Station 5 in Alvord in June 2026 as part of a capital investment program funded by a $9.8 million county tax note issuance.
A Recurring Hazard in Home Auto Repair
Injuries from vehicles falling on people during repairs are not rare nationally. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has estimated that 4,822 people are treated annually in U.S. emergency departments for injuries caused by vehicle jack failures, with 74 percent of those injuries occurring while the person was working underneath or beside the vehicle. The agency has also taken direct regulatory action on faulty equipment, issuing consumer advisories and recalls covering more than 1.7 million heavy-duty steel jack stands in May 2020 after manufacturing defects allowed the ratchet mechanism to slip unexpectedly under load.
Workplace safety data tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics identifies “caught-between” and crushing hazards involving falling vehicles or machinery as a leading cause of severe traumatic injuries in vehicle maintenance settings, underscoring why automotive safety guidance emphasizes level concrete work surfaces and redundant mechanical blocking rather than relying on a single support point. No further details on the New Fairview man's condition had been released as of Sunday evening.
