Driver, trapped in one-car Mt. Scott flaming crash, saved by first-responders

INCLUDES ASTONISHING POLICE, AND AFTERMATH, VIDEO | Here’s SE Mt. Scott Boulevard — closed to traffic, during Monday night’s heavy rainfall …

On the border of the Lents neighborhood, SE Mt. Scott Boulevard is closed from SE Carter Lane, on northeast to 112th Avenue, while firefighters extinguish the fire that erupted in a Toyota SUV that crashed into a tree.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton

A woman is lucky to be alive, after crashing and rolling her vehicle in the Lents neighborhood on the dark, rain-swept Monday evening of December 23.

On SE Mt. Scott Boulevard, uphill from SE 112th Avenue, her white Toyota SUV left the road, failing to make the curve near the entrance of Lincoln Memorial Park & Funeral Home.

See PPB Body-Cam footage, and the aftermath video, of this crash:

Her SUV smashed, almost head-on, into a sturdy tree – it came to rest tipped on its side in a swale, then burst into flames.

Arriving police officers see this vehicle engulfed in flames. PPB Body-Cam still frame

“With the driver still trapped inside, and telling a 911 call-taker via phone that she was pinned and the vehicle was on fire, officers knew time was of the essence,” Portland Police Bureau Public (PPB) Information Manager Mike Benner reported.

At 9:06 p.m., six Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) units were dispatched to the crash; a minute later six PPB officers were also sent to the intersection of SE Mt. Scott Boulevard and 112th Avenue. Seven minutes after being dispatched, two PPB officers spotted the flaming wreck up the hill at in front of the cemetery’s main entrance at 11801 SE Mt Scott Boulevard.

Firefighters arrive; come crew start fighting the fire, others formulate a plan to extricate the driver. PPB Body-Cam still frame

At 9:17 p.m. PF&R Mill Park Station Ladder Company #7 arrived – this rig carries a set of Holmatro Power Rescue Tools, used to rapidly cut open vehicles. Shortly thereafter, two Engine Companies of firefighters, from the Lents and Gilbert stations, pulled up.

“The engine compartment of the vehicle was engulfed in flames, and one of the first officers on scene reported hearing small explosions,” Benner said.

After peeling back the Toyota’s sunroof, firefighters begin to pull out the trapped driver. PPB Body-Cam still frame

Firefighters with PF&R Gilbert Station #29 tore out the vehicle’s windshield; they and officers pulled the driver out of the vehicle and quickly dragged her away from the burning SUV and carried her safely away, a safe distance from the blazing wreck.

“They immediately began lifesaving measures; the driver was taken to an area hospital with serious injuries,” Benner reported. “At this time, the driver, a 47-year-old Portland woman, remains hospitalized, but is expected to survive; she has been cited for DUII (alcohol), and Reckless Driving.”

From three blocks away, after the fire has been extinguished and the crash victim sent off in an ambulance – the wrecked SUV is visible, on its side, next to the tree.

After the injured driver has been taken to a hospital, a PPB officer takes this photo. PPB image

The next morning, here’s a look at the crash scene.

Benner added, “In addition, the Portland Police Bureau would like to remind community members to drive sober and safe – not only during the Holidays, but all through the New Year.”

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