Man cut free from vehicle following collision on A41 north of Hinstock
A man was cut free from a vehicle following a collision between a lorry and van on the A41 in north Shropshire this morning.
The collision happened between Hinstock and Tern Hill at around 5.53am.
Emergency services attended including Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service who sent four fire appliances to the scene including the Rescue Tender from Hodnet, Market Drayton and Wellington.
The man is believed to have suffered a lower leg injury.
A Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "On arrival at the scene the crews found that a heavy goods vehicle and a light van had been involved in a significant collision.
"The front end of the van was partially under the trailer of the heavy goods vehicle and had sustained a significant amount of damage. The male driver of the van was found to be mechanically trapped in the vehicle.
"Crews quickly set about using Holmatro hydraulic cutting and spreading equipment to gain access to the casualty and create space.
"Paramedics from West Midlands Ambulance worked closely with firefighters to monitor the casualties condition during the extrication.
"Due to the amount of damage that the van had sustained and the significant intrusion into the vehicle, which was resulting in the driver being trapped, the decision was made to use a procedure known as relocation to provide better access to all of the vehicle.
"This involved the crews attaching a tirfor winch to the rear of the van and anchored to the front of a fire appliance. The van was then carefully and slowly winched out from under the heavy goods vehicle, whilst this process was being carried out firefighters remained inside the van with the trapped driver to monitor their condition and provide reassurance.
"When the van had been winched clear, the crews used hydraulic rams to force the dashboard and engine bay up and away from the casualty. Once this had been completed the casualty was able to be assisted out of the vehicle and was placed into the care of Paramedics.
"We are pleased to report that the casualty was transported to hospital with what we believe is a non life threatening lower leg injury."
"All the crews and Paramedics worked seamlessly together in what was a challenging extrication.
"Officers from West Mercia Police were at the scene, the A41 was closed in both directions between Wistanswick and Hinstock for a period of time, whilst the emergency services worked at the scene and for recovery of the vehicles."
The A41 was closed for several hours between Hinstock and Tern Hill.
