Despite a Herculean effort by emergency personnel an elderly woman died Friday afternoon of injuries she suffered when she was run over by a truck.
The incident occurred at 8:57 a.m. on the third deck of the Jeff Anderson Regional Parking Garage in Meridian. The 78-year-old victim was reportedly walking from her car to a doctor's appointment inside the hospital when she was apparently struck by a truck that was backing toward a parking space.
The name of the victim is being withheld pending notification of all next of kin. The identity of the man driving the full-sized truck is being withheld by Meridian Police Department authorities until the death investigation is completed. No charges against the motorist have been levied at this time.
In a statement released Friday afternoon, Ann Weddington, Marketing Director of Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center said, "We are saddened at the tragic pedestrian/motor vehicle accident that occurred in our parking complex this morning. This unfortunate incident is under investigation with the Meridian Police Department.”
Meridian Fire Department Shift Capt. Derrick Partridge and his firefighters responded to the call along with EMTs from Metro Ambulance Service, Meridian Police Department patrolmen and hospital emergency room nurses. Partridge said when he first arrived on the scene he could see the victim pinned underneath the truck.
"It was one of those scenes that for a split second makes you wonder 'how did this happen?'" said Partridge a 30-year veteran of the MFD. "But then you immediately go into how are we going to get this person out of this situation."
Partridge said the upper decks of the parking garage are too tight for fire engines and that ambulances can't even reach the third deck because the ceiling is too low. But the MFD did have their Dodge rescue truck from the number one fire station which was equipped with air lift bags.
But the minutes it would take to fill the air lift bags with enough air to raise the truck seemed too long for Partridge so he made an on-the-scene call.
"We had plenty of people at the scene so after talking with the EMTs I decided the quickest thing to do was for us to physically lift the truck up so the medical people could do their work," Partridge said.
Picking out six or seven firefighters and policemen, Partridge instructed them to grab one side of the truck and lift. When the men had lifted the truck it gave medical personnel room to quickly stabilize and then remove the victim. With medical personnel well underneath the truck tending to the victim, the men for almost two long minutes strained against the weight of the truck.
"The adrenaline was definitely pumping," Partridge said. "The back wheel was a good two feet off the ground."
The victim was placed in the rescue truck and transported to the emergency room where she immediately went into surgery. Lauderdale County Coroner Clayton Cobler said she died at 12:14 p.m.
Local News
Woman dies after being hit by truck
Emergency personnel lift truck to free victim
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