vehicle extrication thread

i just got down with a extrication class for newer model cars and hybrids. the instructor also taught us some useful things when trying to cut a patient out of a car. but heres the scenario he gave us

regular size car. say honda civic? jetta, camry. whatever
driver is drunk as hell and slams the car into another car and rolls it. lands upright. dash has pinned the drivers legs. also there is a passenger.

how u would u guys go about this?

 

When I ran, we always took the spreaders or the hydraulic ram and wedged them in between the little hump in the floor where the seat connects to the floor. we gave it an up and out force to relieve the patient. this wasn't always the easiest thing to do though. sometimes we had to use both spreaders and ram. Spreaders to lift up on the dash while someone also operated the hydraulic ram to push the dash out.

 

Roll the dash

 

Sawzall their legs off. Easy.

Edit: A grinder with a cutting wheel would work too, but take longer.

 

Drunk driver?..... leave'm there.

 

this is a good one.

first thing that came to mind for me would be unbolt the seat so it slides back.

 

Pop both doors. Make a purchase cut in front lower corner of door. Use ram to lift dash off patient. Repeat on passenger side. You can put the ram against the seat bolt down for the ram but a custom made jig works better to secure the ram so it won't move. I'll post a pic of what I'm talking about when I get to work in the morning.

Murph

 

All you pussies seem to be worried about keeping the occupants alive. Unless I'm misreading, the OP never stated that as a requirement.

 

*leatherman

 

Get him another beer.

 

Well it would also depend on the year of the vehicle too. Those side curtain air bags if not fired are going to be a bitch if they go off. Safe bet anymore would probably be to disconnect the battery before any extrication is started. I know there is an iphone app out that shows where all the stuff is on all the pillars and such. Nothing for DROID that I've found yet. If you saw the app omg!!! It's crazy where all you can't cut on some of the newer cars. Extrication is going to start getting complicated from here on out.

If none of the above factors in, I've seen them make the purchase cut and use the spreaders to lift the car from under the purchase point to keep from having to use a ram. I don't use that method cause you would need to crib it up as you lifted to protect personell as well as trapped victims if something shifted and the spreaders fell over dropping the car. Ram method is much safer. Old days you could
Cut windshield out rig a chain to the front of vehicle and one around steering column and use the spreaders to pull the dash off the patient. There's always multiple ways to do something, it just depends what will work in that situation.

 

Bless you, autocorrect!

 

true. but the instructor was showing us that in these newer 2010 2011+ vehicles theres more layers of steel and other reinforcements in the B post that most tools cant cut. also he showed us some that rams cant roll the dash on some newer vehicles. but i have an idea. say u cant roll the dash. crib underneath the B post. then make a cut in the A post and then spread the dash down instead of up?

 

i meant push the floor down my bad

 

That would tilt the whole vehicle forward, no? You still have the multi folded steel along the bottom of the door. I understand what your trying to do though.

 

unbolt the seat?

 

Or you could try to slide the front seat back, flap the roof, and use the good old KED to extricate. Did that a few months ago.