Jenks Fire Crew Rescues Driver After Dangerous Wreck

Jenks Fire and Rescue Crews are stressing safety behind the wheel after rescuing a driver from a serious wreck. First responders explained to us how they helped save a life despite the odds being stacked against them.

Jenks Chief Greg Ostrum said in rescues like this you have to think hard and think fast. He told us that what happened on Thursday afternoon was a team effort as crews tried to get the driver out of her mangled vehicle.

Chief Ostrum will tell you when saving someone's life every second counts.

"From the time that we got the dispatch to till we had her actually removed from the vehicle was about 45 minutes,” said Chief Ostrum.

Chief Ostrum said crews were dispatched to the Creek Turnpike near the Arkansas River where they found a heavily damaged vehicle pinned against a tree with the driver trapped inside. Ostrum said the first thing they're taught to do is think of every scenario and survey the scene.

“We're working on plan A and B and simultaneously trying two different things at once but you're also thinking about plan C, D and E,” said Chief Ostrum.

Ostrum said storms that had just passed through Jenks Thursday afternoon caused the driver to hydroplane forcing her to veer off the road and slam into a tree. He said the steep, muddy hill made for a slippery slope.

"We actually used our truck to be an anchor point at the top of the hill to keep it from sliding down further,” said Ostrum.

Ostrum says responding to car crashes like this is one of the first things firefighters learn in training and is something they revisit every year.

"We bring in cars. We cut cars and see what cars do as you cut metal,” Ostrum said. “But every accident’s a little bit different. The speed of the vehicle. The type of vehicle. How it impacted."

Crews used almost every tool in their arsenal to get the driver out and get her to safety.

"The training is more about what the tools do and how they work. And some of the theories and then we have to apply those theories on the scene,” said Ostrum.

Chief Ostrum said the driver was responsive and transported to the hospital with serious injuries. Her condition is unknown at this time.