Russell firefighters help free driver after Burton Road collision

Russell Township firefighters joined Ottawa crews to free a driver trapped after a head-on collision on Burton Road Thursday evening that left a 20-year-old man critically injured.

Ottawa police said officers responded at about 7:46 p.m. Oct. 15 to the 700 block of Burton Road.

In an Oct. 16 release, police said the man had been taken to hospital in critical condition and his condition remained life-threatening that morning. The transport truck driver was not injured.

Ottawa Fire Services provided details of the rescue in an Oct. 16 social media post. It said a transport truck cab, travelling without a trailer, collided head-on with a Hyundai Santa Fe at Burton and North Russell roads.

An off-duty Ottawa firefighter came across the collision and stopped to help before emergency crews arrived. The driver, alone in the Santa Fe, was unconscious and trapped, the fire service said.

Firefighters stabilized the vehicle and began freeing the driver at 8:03 p.m., using hydraulic tools to remove doors and the roof. Ottawa and Russell Township crews worked together, removing the driver at 8:41 p.m.

The off-duty firefighter stayed inside to support the driver’s neck while crews worked. Ottawa and Prescott-Russell paramedics provided care during the rescue before the man was taken to hospital.

The man remains in hospital in critical but stable condition, Ottawa police media relations representative Julie Kavanagh told The Rustler in an Oct. 19 email.

As of Oct. 18, The Rustler had found no subsequent police announcement of charges or the vehicles’ directions of travel. Investigators are seeking witnesses and anyone with dashcam or other video of the collision.

It is still unknown whether the injured man is from Russell Township.

Anyone with information can contact the Ottawa Police Service’s Fatal Collision Investigation Unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 2345. Anonymous tips can be provided to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.