The firefighters used a wench cable from Squad 13 to pull this car onto its side, enabling the firefighters to pull the driver from the vehicle.
photo by Battalion Chief Rick Boatright
Chattanooga firefighters pulled an unconscious man, Charles Allen, 75, from a submerged car near the Brainerd Walmart on Tuesday afternoon.
On Wednesday, Mr. Allen died.
Firefighters responded to a car accident shortly after 5 p.m. in which the vehicle was trapped in water at 490 Greenway View Dr. When firefighters from Station 13 arrived on the scene, they found a Cadillac completely submerged in a retention pond.
The fire department received the alarm at 5:07 p.m. and the first companies (from Station 13) arrived on the scene three minutes later at 5:10 p.m.
Battalion Chief Rick Boatwright said the firefighters with Squad 13 and Quint 13 believed the car was still occupied, so they immediately began a rescue operation.
For their own safety, the firefighters tied ropes around themselves so that they could safely approach the vehicle. Chief Boatwright said the firefighters then attached a cable from Squad 13 to the car, and used the fire truck's winch to pull the vehicle onto its side, enabling the firefighters to gain access to the driver's side door and window. Once that was accomplished, the firefighters broke out the window and opened the door.
The firefighters then pulled the unconscious man out of the car and immediately began administering cardio pulmonary resuscitation before handing him off to paramedics with Hamilton County EMS. Two of the firefighters rode with the patient in the ambulance and helped to continue CPR on the way to Erlanger Hospital.
Chief Boatwright said it was a very tough situation for the firefighters, but they did an outstanding job under the circumstances. "They really had to think outside the box on this one," said Chief Boatwright. "The car was totally submerged so they knew they had to act quickly, and they did just that. We are all hoping and praying for a positive outcome for the patient."
The cause of the incident is under investigation by the Chattanooga Police Department. Firefighters with Squad 7 also provided assistance on the scene. Chief Boatwright said the Hamilton County Special Tactics and Rescue Services (STARS) was also called in to help, but the firefighters had already pulled the victim out of the car when they arrived.
In response to a reporter's question to Chief Boatwright about the response time: The fire department received the alarm at 5:07 p.m. and the first companies (from Station 13) arrived on the scene three minutes later at 5:10 p.m.