BLACKSTONE — At about 9:48 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 10, the Blackstone Fire Department responded to a report of a car that had crashed into a tree outside 244 Main Street, with unknown injuries.
According to a statement from Blackstone’s Fire Chief Kevin Roy, when fire and emergency medical services arrived on scene, they found a Jeep Grand Cherokee which had landed on top of an unoccupied Honda CR-V parked in a nearby driveway, with both vehicles coming to rest against a tree.
Chief Roy said first responders quickly determined they would need additional help stabilizing the vehicle and extricating its driver, the lone occupant. He added that the Woonsocket Fire Department sent both ladder and engine companies to assist at the scene.
Firefighters called for a medical helicopter due to the severity of the driver’s injuries, and the North Smithfield Fire Department set up a landing zone at Frederick W. Hartnett Middle School.
After roughly 25 minutes, rescue crews freed the driver — a 63-year-old North Providence man — from the wreckage. Blackstone EMS transported him to the landing zone, where he was flown to a nearby hospital.
“The extrication took longer than we expected because the victim’s car was on top of another vehicle,” Chief Roy said. “We required additional help to stabilize the vehicle prior to extricating the patient.”
The Blackstone Police Department is continuing to investigate the crash.
“We’d like to thank the Woonsocket and North Smithfield Fire Departments for their fast response and help at the scene and the Life Flight landing zone,” Chief Roy said. “Effective mutual aid in response to serious crashes like this can mean the difference between life and death.”
