Just after 2 am Wednesday morning, New Waverly Firefighters and Walker County EMS crews were dispatched to reports of a major crash in the main lanes of I-45 just north of New Waverly. Upon their arrival, they found the lone occupant of a passenger car trapped in the crushed remains of his vehicle, wedged underneath the rear of an 18 wheeler. The vehicle had slammed into the rear of the big rig in what’s often referred to as an “underride crash”. An underride crash happens when a car slides underneath the body of a large truck. These collisions can happen at either the rear or side of a truck and are responsible for hundreds of deaths each year across the nation. New Waverly Firefighters are trained and equipped for underride crashes, having responded to numerous similar incidents, especially on I-45. Multiple units responded to the scene bringing all their available rescue equipment. The NWFD’s blocker truck, a specially designed unit designed to protect victims and emergency personnel at a crash scene, responded and set up a temporary traffic control zone in the northbound lanes while crews went about the task of freeing the critically injured driver, a male in his late twenties. The driver of the vehicle was almost inaccessible in the wreckage, but a Walker County Paramedic was able to make her way into the crushed vehicle and began to assess his condition, while Firefighters began the difficult extrication operation. NWFD crews built supports for the truck’s trailer from 4 x 4 wood blocks, referred to as “cribbing” and used air bags to lift the trailer to gain better access to the victim. Firefighters then began the delicate process of removing the victim from what was left of his vehicle. The rescue effort involved both battery and hydraulic powered rescued tools, as well as hand tools carried on the responding apparatus. Crews from the North Montgomery County Fire Department were called to the scene to support the operations and worked with New Waverly personnel to essentially cut away the crushed car from around the victim.
A PHI Air Medical Helicopter flew to the scene and landed on the freeway as the extrication progressed. After the victim was extricated and stabilized, he was moved to the waiting helicopter and flown to a trauma center in Conroe, where he is receiving treatment for significant injuries, but is expected to survive. The New Waverly Fire Department relies on years of experience and training as they frequently respond to high speed crashes on Interstate 45. NWFD Fire Apparatus are designed and equipped for these types of incidents, as they are one of the most challenging and pose a significant safety risk for both victims and emergency personnel. The NWFD was one of the first in the Houston area to deploy a purpose built blocker truck with a TMA or truck mounted attenuator to protect crash scenes from distracted or impaired drivers.
Troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety are conducting the crash investigation.