District members were busy with the “all-hazards” part of being an “all-hazards district” early Tuesday, April 26. At approximately 6:30 a.m. crews responded to a report of a vehicle crash down the embankment of the Santiam River off of Berlin Road.
First-arriving responders were able to make contact with the driver who was unhurt, but unable to exit his vehicle due to a large oak branch pinning his driver door shut.
A first-alarm upgrade was called for Rescue 31 (R31) to respond to the scene. Low-angle rescue crews were able to safely remove the driver from his passenger side door and back up the embankment in a stokes litter. The rescue team was comprised of two rope technicians and one operations personnel.
The driver was evaluated by medics but decided that he did not require transportation to the hospital and was left in the care of family members.
The Lebanon Fire District would like to thank the Lebanon Police Department for their traffic control work so rescuers could make access to the driver. LFD also thanks the Albany Fire Department, who were initially dispatched to bring watercraft in case the driver was injured and unable to be brought up the embankment in the litter, but were canceled prior to arrival.