Two drivers ended up at Memorial Health University Medical Center Tuesday afternoon after their vehicles nearly collided head-on at East US Highway 80 and Old Dean Forest Road in Pooler, with one driver pinned inside the wreckage until firefighters could cut them free. The crash set off a major emergency response and left at least one person with serious injuries.
According to WTOC, the collision prompted Pooler Fire-Rescue and Garden City Fire Rescue to rush to the scene at the busy Highway 80 intersection. First responders arrived to find one person trapped inside their car, the station reported, forcing crews into an extrication effort before that driver could be moved.
Crews Cut Through Metal to Reach Trapped Driver
Firefighters had to cut away the driver’s-side door and displace the dashboard to free the trapped driver, who suffered serious injuries, per the same account. Once freed, both drivers involved were transported to Memorial Health University Medical Center for treatment. The station described the report as still developing Tuesday night, and had not released additional details on the second driver's condition.
The intersection where the crash happened sits along a stretch of Highway 80 that has seen other serious wrecks in recent months. A separate multi-vehicle crash near Tom Triplett Road in Pooler left one person dead, as reported by WSAV, with Pooler police closing the road around 10:20 p.m. that night after the crash left people with serious injuries. Lanes in both directions were shut down as crews worked to clear that scene, WSAV noted.
Another Extrication Earlier This Year
Entrapment crashes have cropped up elsewhere in the area this year as well. Back in February, the Chatham County Fire Department and Garden City Fire Rescue responded to a crash at Dean Forest Road and Clyde Street around 6:25 a.m., a response the fire department described as mutual aid, according to WTOC's earlier reporting. In that incident, at least one person was trapped in their vehicle and was ultimately removed with only minor injuries, a notably different outcome than Tuesday's crash.
No cause for Tuesday's collision on East US Highway 80 has been released, and it remains unclear which vehicle may have crossed into the other's lane. WTOC said the story is developing, suggesting more details could follow as the investigation continues.
