At about 7:30 p.m. March 9, 2021, Utica police and fire units were dispatched to the intersection of Albany Street and South Park Drive for a one-car crash; the vehicle had driven into a wooden area that was engulfed in flames.
The first arriving police units secured the area, and the Utica Fire Department arrived within moments. It was immediately learned that the male operator was trapped within the vehicle, and emergency rescue efforts were undertaken.
In the initial stages, and due to the serious nature of needing to remove the occupant, the Fire Department began to utilize all resources to extricate the male. Due to this, the danger of the fire was still very present, and a member of the UPD Patrol Division manned the firehose and began to douse the vehicle while the fire personnel worked to free the male.
After a few minutes more, fire personnel arrived on scene and heroically were able to free the male and rush him to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. Once there, the hospital staff continued life-saving measures; the male is in critical but stable condition thanks to the efforts of everyone involved.
We at the Utica Police Department would like to thank and congratulate our brothers and sisters at UFD and the trauma staff at St. Elizabeth’s for their efforts with this incident.
Also, great job to our patrol officer for stepping in and assisting when needed.