Three air ambulances needed after Carson City accident on Silver Oak Drive
A two-vehicle accident reported at about 2:15 this afternoon required three air ambulances to transport three patients, one of them a pregnant woman, witnesses, paramedics and Carson City Fire Chief Stacey Giomi confirmed.
CalStar and CareFlight helicopters were dispatched to the head-on crash site and transported three patients to Renown Medical Center in Reno, according to scanner traffic between Carson City dispatch and emergency crews on scene. The accident was reported at 777 Sliver Oak Drive, a residential neighborhood.
Giomi confirmed initial reports that three people had suffered from life-threatening traumatic injuries, while a fourth person refused medical attention. Witnesses said a child in one of the vehicles was not hurt.
The accident involved an older model Chevy van and a late model Chevy truck. The pregnant woman was inside the van along with a man and the child who was sitting in the back of the van. Both vehicles appeared to be moving at a clip at the time of impact, witnesses said. The speed limit in the residential neighborhood is 25 mph.
The late model truck had an airbag that deployed but the van did not have an airbag. Paramedics were able to get the man and the woman inside the van out quickly where they were transported by air ambulance. The victim in the truck was also transported by air ambulance. A child sitting in the back of the van had a bump on the head but was otherwise unharmed, witnesses said.
After the impact of the accident, a small fire started but was extinguished according to witnesses. Both vehicles apparently were stuck together at the point of impact and had to be pried apart. Crews were able to remove the victims safely, however, even though the vehicles were stuck together.
Two Care Flight air ambulances were dispatched from Reno while a Calstar helicopter was pulled from South Lake Tahoe. Also a ground ambulance was called.
Meanwhile, emergency crews responded to an accident that happened at about 2:40 this afternoon involving two vehicles at Spooner Junction. The vehicles suffered moderate damage and are now on the side of the road. The initial report was the accident had caused injuries but reports now coming in said no one was injured.