LUCERNE, Calif. – First responders spent two hours early Saturday morning extricating a driver from his overturned semi truck.
The crash was first dispatched at 3:40 a.m., according to scanner reports.
The semi, which was hauling a load of milk, rolled over on Highway 20 east of Pepperwood Cove, according to Northshore Fire Deputy Chief Pat Brown.
Radio reports indicated that the first units on scene found the semi sitting on its top, with the roadway clear.
The tank was reported to be completely ruptured, according to reports from the scene, with California Fish and Wildlife and Lake County Environmental Health asked to respond due to the runoff headed to the lake.
Brown said the driver was pinned in the overturned semi between his seat and the front dash.
The whole vehicle had to be lifted using airbags and a large tow vehicle, Brown said.
Heavy rescue from the Clearlake Oaks Station used all extrication tools to cut and remove parts of the truck in order to gain access to the patient, Brown said.
Brown said all Northshore Fire stations – Clearlake Oaks, Lucerne, Nice and Upper Lake – were involved, along with Cal Fire out of Clearlake Oaks.
The REACH 6 air ambulance crew – which had landed at Lucerne Harbor Park to transport the driver – helped Northshore Fire paramedics on scene for advanced life support for the patient during extrication, Brown said.
Additional details on the cause of the crash will be published as they become available.