City firefighters roll out for rollover

— Shortly before 3 a.m. Sunday, Pea Ridge firefighters and medical personnel rolled out of bed to respond to a one-vehicle rollover accident.

Upon arrival, they discovered a man with his leg pinned beneath his pickup truck. Their task - free him and get him to the hospital.

Police officer John Langham was the first person on the scene. He talked to the driver, James Barnett, 30, and told him the ambulance would be there soon.

Barnett was less than a half mile from his home but failed to negotiate a sharp 90-degree turn.

He was charged with DWI.

His truck went over the curb and careened down the slope, flipping, hitting trees and coming to rest on its side in Edith Bennet’s yard.

Dino Collins and his two sons, also firefighters, were the first firefighters to arrive; they quickly assessed the situation.

As more firefighters and equipment arrived, the scene was illuminated with a spotlight, men rushed to the scene and prepared to work. They unloaded extrication equipment they recently trained to use - hydraulic hoses were hooked up to provide pressure for the cutters and spreaders. Firefighters cut the “A” post - the upright post on the passenger side between the body of the truck and the roof. Then, the “B” post, the upright between the front and back doors, and then,the “C” post.

They peeled back the truck’s roof like opening a can, but, as one firefighter said: “A can is aluminum and folds back more easily.”

Working carefully but as quickly as possible, firefighters protected the conscious patient as they cut away the metal of the truck. One firefighter held the man’s hand.

Despite the hour, several area residents stood by in the dark.

Because of the moderate temperatures, Bennet and her guests had been sleeping with the windows open.

They were awakened bythe sound; one of the ladies rushed outside to see what happened.

She said it sounded like “someone hitting air.” Another said it sounded metal, like a dog cage being blown over.

John Conoway said someone knocked on his door about 2:45 a.m. A pedestrian who claimed to have seen the accident was at the door seeking help for the motorist. Conoway believes it is because his porch light was on.

The driver was treated at Northwest Medical Center, then released.

News, Pages 1 on 04/13/2011