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An elderly man and woman are fighting for life after they were crushed in their car when it crashed in Gerringong.
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Their vehicle was towing a trailer and travelling north on the Princes Highway when it left the road and slammed into a guardrail about 10.30am on Friday, August 22.
“The scene was a single car accident towing a trailer, with two patients trapped with the dash crushed down onto their legs,” NSW Ambulance Inspector Warren Coulton said.
“We believe that the male driver may have had a medical episode while driving and lost control.
“They were both confused at the time after the crash … it can be to do with the types of injuries they had.”
The male driver was left with broken legs and internal bleeding. The woman who was sitting in the front seat of the car had lacerations on her face, a leg fracture and internal bleeding. Both are aged in their 70s.
As paramedics treated the injured man and woman in the crushed car, rescue crews cut the roof off the vehicle to allow better access so the pair could be removed. It took around 90 minutes to free them from their car.
While there were initial calls to Shellharbour Hospital for units of blood to be delivered to the crash site, paramedics decided to airlift the patients immediately for further treatment.
The man has since been airlifted to St George Hospital, and the woman airlifted to Westmead Hospital. Both are in a critical condition.
Insp Coulten said it was a challenging crash scenario due to multiple patients, many emergency services and continual rain during the incident.
The accident occurred alongside Crooked River Estate winery, near the Belinda Street off-ramp, and caused major northbound delays for motorists, with a 12-kilometre-long traffic jam back to Berry.
The Princes Highway was closed in both directions for a short period as rescue helicopters landed at the scene about 11.15am.
Southbound lanes were reopened shortly after, with northbound lanes reopened about 1.15pm. The Belinda Street off-ramp remains closed at this time.
I report on crime, emergency services and police matters. Email me on nadine.morton@austcommunitymedia.com.au
I report on crime, emergency services and police matters. Email me on nadine.morton@austcommunitymedia.com.au
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