Plymouth Firefighters use a Stokes Basket and ropes to rescue a woman from a car that crashed down a steep, rocky embankment on the coast off Manomet Point Road on Tuesday afternoon. (Courtesy Plymouth Fire Department)
PLYMOUTH – Chief Neil Foley reports that the Plymouth Fire Department rescued a driver from a sedan that crashed down a steep embankment off Manomet Point Road on Tuesday afternoon.
On Tuesday, March 28, at approximately 4:39 p.m., the Plymouth Fire Department responded to reports of a motor vehicle crash in which a vehicle went down a steep embankment along Manomet Point Road.
The first companies on scene discovered a vehicle that came to rest on rocks about 20 feet down a rocky embankment near the road, and determined that the vehicle was not stable in the location where it came to rest.
Additional apparatus, including Rescue 1 equipped with technical rescue equipment, and a brush truck that is equipped with a winch, was requested by firefighters at the scene.
Firefighters used the winch and a cable to secure the vehicle in the location where it came to rest. Firefighters then used a Stokes basket — a specially designed stretcher that can be lowered and raised using ropes — and extricated the driver from the vehicle before pulling her back up to the road.
The driver, who is not being identified at this time, was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
Police and firefighters remain at the scene as work to pull the vehicle back up the embankment remains ongoing. There are no known hazardous material spills from the vehicle, which came to rest just above the coastline.
“Our firefighters train constantly to be ready for whatever comes their way, and this incident is a prime example of why that training is important,” said Chief Foley. “This incident was unusual and dangerous, but our crews used their training and experience to quickly deploy a winch and Stokes basket to secure the vehicle and rescue the driver. Our firefighters work hard between incidents to be ready for emergencies like this, and today that hard work paid off.”
A Plymouth Fire Department brush truck with a winch installed was used to secure the vehicle while firefighters rescued the driver. (Courtesy Plymouth Fire Department)
