Strong work by these guys for using a little muscle. Here’s the story:
Rescue workers knew their time was short when they found 20-year-old Alessandro Hernandez on the Santa Ana (5) Freeway with an SUV lying on top of him. Hernandez, a Corona resident, was one of five passengers riding in a 1998 Ford Explorer heading southbound on the 5 freeway at about 10:55 p.m. Saturday when it collided with three other vehicles near the San Gabriel (605) Freeway, said Officer Joe Zizi of the California Highway Patrol.
Hernandez is hospitalized in critical condition. He suffered a fractured skull, broken jaw and fractured clavicle, Zizi said.
He had not been wearing his seat belt and had been thrown from the SUV as it rolled over several times, Zizi said. The SUV came to rest on top of him, with the spare tire on his head and the rear axle in his back.
“His breathing was very shallow. They knew they had to work quickly,” Zizi said.
In a miraculous effort, Zizi said, four rescue workers lifted the Ford while another dragged Hernandez out from underneath.
Los Angeles County firefighter Bob Reinhold, CHP Sgt. Tannon Brown and paramedics Mike Morgan and Don Ferry lifted the rear of the Ford, enabling firefighter Dave Mack to pull Hernandez out.
A second passenger in the Explorer, 19-year-old Jeremy Jones of Anaheim, sustained a fractured skull and a laceration to the head. Jones was wearing his seat belt.
Both men remained in critical condition Monday at UCI Medical Center, he said.
Three additional passengers in the vehicle were transported to Norwalk Community Hospital with minor injuries.
Empty beer bottles and beer cans spilled out of the SUV as it tumbled on the freeway, Zizi said. The driver of the vehicle, 19- year-old Stephanie Tirado of Anaheim, was tested and found not to be under the influence, he said.
Authorities are still trying to determine the cause of the accident and how the SUV collided with three other vehicles. No arrests have yet been made.
Zizi said the rescuers who lifted the SUV and pulled Hernandez out will be commended. He said they’re hoping Hernandez can get better soon so he can eventually meet the five men who worked to save him.
“They decided to make the call and lift the Ford instead of waiting for other equipment,” he said. “They did what they had to do, and it was a very great thing.”
2008 Press-Telegram Long Beach, CA.
Written by Kelly Puente
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