Crushed Car, Trapped Victims: Lewiston Fire Company Sharpens Advanced Extrication Skills

Lewiston, NY - Volunteer firefighters from Lewiston Fire Company No. 2 confronted a high-intensity, heavy-rescue scenario Thursday evening, running intensive vehicle extrication drills focused on stabilizing and cutting apart a car crushed beneath heavy machinery.

On October 8, 2026, Lewiston No. 2 members gathered for an advanced practical drill simulating a complex commercial under-ride collision: a passenger vehicle pinned directly beneath a full-sized municipal front loader with two occupants trapped inside the compromised passenger compartment.

Crews deployed heavy-duty cribbing, stabilization struts, and hydraulic lifting equipment to arrest vehicle movement and secure the heavy loader, ensuring the scene was completely stabilized before rescue teams operated underneath the machinery.

Working with hydraulic spreaders, cutters, and reciprocating saws, firefighters systematically peeled back damaged doors and roof posts to create rapid patient access points, practicing proper spine-neutral disentanglement techniques to safely remove both simulated victims.

Department officers emphasized that training on complex, multi-vehicle entrapments involving industrial equipment builds the critical technical precision needed during real-world collisions on rural and suburban roadways.

Lewiston Command credited the Town of Lewiston Highway Department for partnering with the agency and supplying the front-end loader that made the realistic drill possible.