One person was significantly injured and flown via a medical helicopter to the hospital after crashing a car into a heavily wooded area in Inverness on Saturday.
Scott Motisi, Chief of Fire and EMS for the Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District, said emergency personnel were called to the scene of the crash on Barrington Road at 1:45 p.m. Saturday.
Motisi said emergency personnel found one person walking around and a second trapped inside the vehicle located in heavy brush.
Motisi said the force of the crash caused the engine to intrude into the driver’s compartment by at least 30 inches.
Because of the wooded area and the damage to the vehicle, fire crews had to perform an extensive and prolonged extraction to free the patient, Motisi said.
In addition, he said significant brush, foliage and buckthorn needed to be cleared out of the way to allow emergency crews to get to the patient for extraction.
Barrington Road was shut down in both directions while firefighters worked to free the patient from the vehicle.
Motisi said crews worked diligently to stabilize the patient, who was suffering from significant lower limb injuries.
He added that it took about one hour and 45 minutes to completely extract the patient from the vehicle.
Because of the prolonged extraction, emergency personnel decided it was best to transport the victim to the nearest trauma center via a medical helicopter, Motisi said.
A medical helicopter was summoned to the scene and the patient was then airlifted to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Motisi said.
The condition of the patient is unknown at this time.
Motisi said the patient found outside of the vehicle when emergency personnel arrived was treated at the scene and released.
The crash remains under investigation by the Inverness Police Department, Motisi said.
Motisi said Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District was assisted at the scene by emergency personnel from Hoffman Estates.
Fire companies from Barrington and Lake Zurich also assisted Barrington Countryside with station coverage, Motisi said.