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Firefighters use jaws-of-life

Accident brings numerous rescue units to accident scene
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Several firefighters used two sets of jaws of life to cut the roof

A driver who crashed into a telephone pole and ended up in a ditch after skidding off West Coast Road had to be removed via the car’s roof on Saturday morning.

The pole went into the driver’s side door and pushed the woman’s seat, with her in it, into the middle of the car, said Fire Chief Steve Sorensen who was on the scene along with 15 other firefighters, the RCMP and two ambulances.

“The pole was where her seat should have been,” he said.

The car was “a mess” and the driver couldn’t be accessed through the doors. Instead, two sets of jaws of life had to be used — essentially giant scissors —, one on either side.

“It was quite a tricky extrication,” said Sorensen. “We took the roof right off.”

The doors and dashboard were also removed, and the woman was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Traffic was diverted on West Coast Road for about 40 minutes — RCMP did not comment due to computer problems at press time.