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Driver Trapped After Knocking Over Large Pine Tree In Highway 97 Crash
October 15, 2010
A Pace man was airlifted to a Pensacola hospital after he fell asleep and knocked over a full-size pine tree in a Highway 97 crash this morning.
For a photo gallery from the scene, click here.
The accident happened about 7:20 a.m. on Highway 97 north of Hendricks Lane, between Molino and Walnut Hill. The Florida Highway Patrol said Tommy Styles, 67, of Pace, fell asleep, left the roadway in his Dodge Ram and struck a pine tree that was over a foot in diameter. The tree was knocked over by the force of the impact, and the truck came to rest on top of the base of the tree.
Styles was trapped in the cab of his truck for over half an hour as first responders used the Jaws of Life to free him. He was transported to a Pensacola hospital by LifeFlight in serious but stable condition.
Charges against Styles are pending, according to the FHP.
The Walnut Hill, Molino, McDavid and Century stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the crash, along with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Atmore Ambulance and the Florida Highway Patrol.
For a photo gallery from the scene, click here.
Pictured top: First responder worked for about half an hour to free a man trapped in this Highway 97 crash Friday morning. Pictured below: The Dodge Ram came to rest on top of the pine tree that it knocked over in the crash. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
18 Responses to “Driver Trapped After Knocking Over Large Pine Tree In Highway 97 Crash”
Thank you William for the comments about the volunteers that “work” in the volunteer fire departments. I saw the fire truck from Molino going to this accident and they were doing the best they could to get by the traffic at Molino Park Elementary, including cars and buses. The people were getting to the side of the road, but it was very busy.
I saw the same thing last night at the carnival from these volunteers, a child was not feeling well and they were taking care of him like he was their own child.
Thank you to all the volunteers in these fire departments, you never know when you will need their services, be it a fire, accident or health concern.
Thank You!
I sure hope this man is alright, may god bless him and his family…
You all need to remember that you do NOT know to the FULL EXTENT of what happened this morning. Only God and Mr. Styles really know…I’m almost positive there weren’t any witnesses…Anyway, please be kind….follow the rules, no need for pointless comments…I’m sure it’s been a very rough day for his family..and not full of laughs. He is a great guy and everybody should pray for a quick and healthy recovery.
@ dwaters & KIM..I have a life & the reason I say laughing is better than crying is that is how I have survived MY life..YES I DO HAVE 1!!!! I have been in a bad accident & was hurt & yes I laugh @ it now….I feel the pain everyday..& thats been 7 yrs. I am glad the guy is gonna be AOK! But it was like 1 of those “wild videos” you see on TV. Just yesterday I saw on the news where a car went off the road & the car went up the power pole he hit..that was funny looking too..I dont wish bad things on anyone…I am a very caring person wear my heart on my sleeve..if someone needs something & I can help out I do! Now before I get judged & name called…PLZ WALK A MILE IN MY SHOES! I will pray for “Tom” tonite & until he is out of the hospital!
@ cb..I dont do it all the time i should have said..when I worked in Destin (a 2 hr or more drive) yes If i felt myself getting sleepy on the way in @ 4 am I would pull over @ a Tom Thumb & set my cell phone’s alarm clock so I wasnt late but twice!
“If they were rude to you at that point, I am proud of them”. I loved that william. Sometimes, we first responders cant exibit all of the civility and good manners that would otherwise be called for. Firefighters talk and think on a totally separate plane than if they were, say, speaking to you at the grocery store. They have one goal on scene and that is to save lifes and property in the most expedient manner. If you are offended by a comment from one of them, please dont be.
Wow, William!! You said it!! Thanks!!
So Mary your saying you pull over all the time on the side of the road and sleep??? Why make that a habit??? Seriously you do this??? Oh Please tell that lie to someone else.
MARY You are sooo small minded and ignornat .Yes I agree you have to laugh at yourself sometimes but this is not one of them!! Asking ” why” he did just pull over. What the Heck??? It was an accident. I will assume your remarks you wrote today were an accident as well. I choose to beleive that you are really not that kind of person. If you are laughing at yourself it is probaly not the best route to take. You might want to be serious and get a Life!!!!
“Gordon” wrote:
It was not 20 minutes, but it was a little bit of time. I pulled up from the north as Engine 1819 from Molino was arriving from the south. The first Walnut Hill truck was seconds behind me.
But their response time was excellent when you consider the location. The wreck was about 10 miles from the Molino Fire Station, which had a paid crew standing by at that time of the morning and about 7 miles from the Walnut Hill Station which is all volunteer. At 60 miles per hour, it would have taken the Molino truck 10 minutes to arrive. Add a minute or so to maneuver safely on and across Highway 29. That’s 11 minutes. The 911 call would have taken another minute for the dispatcher to determine the location, if an ambulance was needed, etc. That’s 12 minutes.
The problem was pure distance, not a slow response. The wreck location is on the “border” between the Walnut Hill and Molino fire districts. The ambulance, by the way, was from Atmore — 16 miles away.
Perhaps you are the person that asked me if I was a fireman as I was walking up to the scene and then went to another fireman and showed them a phone.
If they were rude to you at that point, I am proud of them.
The first firemen on the scene were not at all concerned about a phone; they were concerned with determining how to best help the man involved in a very serious traffic crash.
I watch our North Escambia first responders work all sorts of incidents, and I can assure you that our volunteers and career firefighters are some of the very best. I hope to never need them, but I know that if I do, that I will be in very good hands.
William
Publisher
NorthEscambia.com
the sad part of this is it took 20 mins for the fire rescue to get there then i tried to give toms phone to them and they were very rude i was the one to stop and help me and my brother in law were the first ones on the scene. Gordon
i, for one, dont see any humor in this accident….of course, i take of these folks right afterwards, so….i know how much discomfort / stress and anxiety the patient and their families go thru…you never know what kind of unexpected complications that could arise, during (and after) his hospitalization….in addition, just think of the financial impact that this accident will have those involved…….but by the grace of God, go i…and, many of you all, as well.
O.K. If you have never been a little tried and drove then that is just great for you!!!! lets put you on the good list!!!! I went past this and I hope that he is not all broke up !!! I will be thinking about you and your family as they will be taking care of you now!!!!!!
If you cant laugh..what do you do..cry? Laughter has gotten me thru life….I do feel for the guy..now I see he feel asleep..why didnt he just pull over somewhere & take a nap? I have done that many times….
my prayers are with the man involved! Glad he was in the truck and not a little car…or worse, a motorcycle! hope he is just as tough!
Wow! Ram tough!! I hope the driver is just as tough as his truck.
Looks like 1/2acre in there getting his new gear dirty!
Serious but stable sounds pretty good from the looks of the truck. Prayers for him.