October 6, 2009
Rescue Squad 741 was called to extricate an elderly woman trapped in her car when it crashed through a storefront in downtown Bethesda.
Rescue Squad 741, Ambulance 711 from Glen Echo and Bethesda Engine 706 were dispatched shortly before 15:00 hours on a Tuesday afternoon to 6931 Arlington Road for a report of a car into a building. They arrived on scene to find a vehicle that had accelerated down a driveway, struck a concrete pylon, traveled along a retaining wall, and crashed through a glass storefront before coming to rest in a beauty salon. Reportedly, the vehicle had been gaining speed just before the crash. The front end of the vehicle was significantly compressed and the elderly driver was trapped inside. However, there was no structural damage to the building.
After evaluating the structural integrity of the building, the squad crew used hydraulic spreaders and cutters to open the driver’s side door that had been distorted by the collision sequence. The driver was transported to Suburban Hospital by Ambulance 711 along with two salon employees who received minor injuries.
