Nebraska City – Nebraska City Fire and Rescue saved a woman trapped in her car after it fell into a creek bed near South 11th Street on Saturday.
The woman was leaving the drive-thru lane at Cody’s U-Save when her car suddenly sped up, broke through a fence, and dropped about eight feet from a retaining wall. The car then went down a steep slope of about 30 feet and fell another six feet into the creek bed, landing on its front bumper at almost a 90-degree angle.
Fire Chief Rob Schreiner explained that some small trees helped slow the car’s fall.
Schreiner said, “We had to use a Kendrick extrication device (KED) on her, which is an old tool but necessary because of the car’s angle. She was stuck right behind the wheel. We managed to open the driver’s door and put the KED on her. Then, we slid a backboard under her and had to drag her out onto the backboard, up onto the car, and then carry her out.
“We used a rope to help pull her up and then put her on a ladder, sliding her up onto a gurney. We then took her to the hospital. It was quite a challenge.”
Although the car’s side airbags deployed, the front ones did not. EMTs reassured the trapped woman and checked her vital signs, which were stable, before lifting her to safety.