It took 23 long, agonizing minutes, but firefighters from Aurora and St. Paul freed a woman this morning who was trapped in her vehicle after a head-on collision with a J.B. Hunt semi-truck carrying potato chips.
The collision occurred at approximately 8:17AM Monday in the area of Ehlen Road NE and Donald Road NE between Donald and St. Paul. In addition to Aurora Fire District and St. Paul Fire, personnel from Woodburn Ambulance and Marion County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.
Good samaritans stopped and attempted to assist the trapped driver in the car, but were unable to get her out of the vehicle.
The semi-truck and trailer had flipped and were on their sides, blocking the entire road. The truck driver sustained minor injuries and transported by ambulance to an area hospital.
The other driver was trapped in her vehicle, a 2016 Jeep partially crushed and lying under the truck in the ditch. She was alone, conscious but unable to get out.
Firefighter/EMTs on scene comforted and treated her injuries while they painstakingly “disassembled the vehicle from around her,” according to a press release. It took firefighters from Aurora and St. Paul 23 minutes to free the woman from the vehicle, who was moved to a waiting ambulance to be treated further. She was transported to an area trauma hospital with moderate, but not life-threatening, injuries.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office remained on scene to investigate the crash. Andrew Addo, 37 year-old male from Tacoma, has been identified as the driver of the semi-tractor belonging to J.B. Hunt Transport.
Addo was cited and released at the hospital for charges including reckless driving, recklessly endangering another person, and fourth-degree assault.
The road remained closed for several hours, and it is unknown when the road will reopen.
