One dead, two seriously injured after car leaves road in Smethwick crash

Sunday 21st September 2014 – 6.55am – Claire Brown.

One man has died and two others required emergency pre-hospital care from medics before being transferred to a major trauma centre following a single car crash in Smethwick last night.

West Midlands Ambulance Service was called to reports of a single car which had left the road and ended up outside St Marks Community Project in Thimblemill Road in Smethwick shortly after 10.45pm last night (Saturday). Four ambulances, a paramedic area support officer, medics from the West Midlands Central Accident Resuscitation Emergency (CARE) Team and two further doctors on the MERIT trauma car attended the scene.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “When ambulance staff arrived they found four occupants who had been involved in the RTC; three of which required immediate medical help. One man was out of the car, in a critical condition and deteriorating quickly. Sadly, the man went into cardiac arrest and despite the best efforts of doctors and paramedics, nothing could be done to save him and was confirmed dead on scene.

“A man, believed to be in his 30s, was trapped in the wreckage and was also in cardiac arrest. A team of doctors and ambulance staff worked to successfully resuscitate him. Fire service colleagues worked around the medical team, who continued to administer emergency treatment, to carefully release the man from the wreckage. The man had sustained significant chest, abdominal and leg injuries and doctors took the decision to anaesthetise him at the roadside to help manage his critical condition and administer further advanced pre-hospital interventions. The man was immobilised with a neck collar, spinal board and pelvic splint before being alerted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham; one of the doctors travelled with the man to hospital to continue observations and treatment en route.

“A third man, in his 30s, had also been ejected from the car and was found underneath the vehicle. He had sustained nasty abdominal and pelvic injuries. Ambulance staff administered pain relief and a drug to reduce heavy bleeding before the man was fully immobilised with a neck collar, spinal board and pelvic splint. Once stable, he too was taken on alert to the same major trauma centre with a doctor on board.

“A fourth patient from the car sustained minor injuries and was taken to Sandwell Hospital as a precaution.”

ENDS