On December 2018, the Stuart Fire Department was called to a single-vehicle MVA just west of Menlo. The vehicle was a 2001 Chevy Silverado X 2. The vehicle had hit a guard rail and cleared a creek and landed on its top entrapping both patients.
Stuart Fire had cribbed around the vehicle and were using rescue jacks to help with the lifting to provide an opening to extricate the patients. There still was no large enough opening to get the patients out the window.
Amkus spreaders
The rescuers then attempted using airbags to lift the front part of the vehicle but were unsuccessful due to the terrain. The Amkus spreaders were then used with extended reach tips to lift in the cowl area of the engine compartment while cribbing was lifted.
This allowed an additional 18” of opening to safely pull the patients to the backboard in which one patient was airlifted and then the other patient transported by ground.
