THE DRIVER of a car which left a road in Strachur due to bad weather was left trapped inside their vehicle for nine hours before being discovered.
The incident happened on Saturday afternoon when a 4×4 vehicle suddenly left the A815, crashed and ended up partially visible to other road users – which meant the driver and their pet dog were trapped in the car for
nine hours.
A local resident walking past discovered the vehicle and raised the alarm. Firefighters from Strachur were first on the scene and were later joined by colleagues from Dunoon Community Fire Station, local police and paramedics.
The driver was conscious but restricted from exiting the vehicle and firefighters, thanks to the condition and position of the car, were able to extract the driver who was transferred onto a rescue board thanks to the assistance of local police and passers by.
Its understood the driver was then taken to hospital by ambulance.
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 2.23pm on Saturday, December 14, to reports of a road traffic collision involving one vehicle near Strachur. Operations Control mobilised three fire appliances to the scene. Firefighters extracted one casualty from the vehicle and handed them into the care of the Scottish Ambulance Service. Crews left the scene after ensuring the area was made safe.”
A social media post from Strachur Community fire station detailed the incident and their callout, a section of it reading: “It’s not uncommon to see vehicles off the road following a skid on ice or flooding. The emergency services will always make it obvious that such an event has been brought to the services attention using warning tape or stickers or both. Should you come across a vehicle off the road without obvious tape, it may mean there are still occupants trapped, and this should be called into 999 immediately.”
It added: “It is also essential that a trapped casualty should not be extricated by a member of the public, unless there is an impending danger to life.
“Scottish fire and rescue crews are all highly trained for these situations. As part of the process we may ask a member of the public to assist us under supervision in particular when they have mechanical machinery which may aid our process. Fortunately whilst there were passers by in attendance on Saturday just prior to our arrival, there had been no attempt to remove the casualty. At the casualty’s own insistence however the dog was rescued and in the care of a local farmer.”
