AMBULANCE staff were shocked no one was seriously injured after a commercial van collided with the back of a flatbed recovery vehicle on the A46 on Saturday (October 22) night.
The incident happened at 6.50pm on the Coventry Eastern Bypass, north of the TGI roundabout.
Two ambulances, a paramedic area support officer and the MERIT Trauma Doctor were sent to the scene.
Crews present admitted the potential for there to be multiple fatalities were “enormous” following a significant impact and intrusion on the passenger side of the van.
When crews arrived they found a commercial van that had been pulling a trailer had collided with the back of a flatbed recovery vehicle that had stopped to pick up a car.
The driver of the flatbed had just left the rear of the vehicle seconds before the collision.
The trailer then separated from the van and ended up against the central reservation – that van itself suffered huge front end damage against the flatbed.
Crews present admitted the potential for there to be multiple fatalities were “enormous”.
A West Midlands Ambulance spokesman said: “There were two people in the van, a seven-year-old boy in the front passenger seat and the driver was a 50-year-old man.
“On arrival, the man was out of the vehicle but the boy was trapped by his right leg – due to damage, crews had to enter the van via the rear doors.”
Ambulance staff initially stabilised the child before working with firefighters to cut him free – he was trapped for about 45 minutes.
After being assessed by the doctor, he was taken on blue lights to the paediatric major trauma centre at Birmingham Children?s Hospital with a badly broken left leg.
The spokesman continued: “The driver was taken to University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire with relatively minor injuries to his head and legs.
?”Considering the damage, the fact that the youngster was not far more seriously hurt – or worse – is astonishing.
?”The driver of the flatbed recovery truck was uninjured but badly shaken at the thought of what might have happened – he didn?t require any treatment.
“This was an excellent example of teamwork between the three emergency services.”
