LAGRANGE – A truck that crashed into a building Wednesday afternoon required multiple fire departments to rescue the driver and prevent a building collapse, according to LaGrange Fire Chief Tim O’Connor.
On May 26, 2021, at 12:25 p.m., LaGrange professional firefighters responded to a report of a car into a building at 2019 New Hackensack Road, in Red Oaks Mill, in LaGrange. The first unit arrived on the scene within five minutes and requested additional resources and mutual aid response.
The emergency was an extended operation given the severity, location, and integrity of the building, according to O’Connor. The LaGrange Building Department and the joint “Special Operations – Building Collapse Technical Rescue Unit” comprised of LaGrange, Poughkeepsie, and Arlington Fire Districts responded to the scene.
The building was formerly “Community Glass” and has been vacant for a number of years. The pickup impacted the supports for an exterior wall causing it to collapse onto the pickup. The driver was quickly extricated by emergency crews, stabilized, and transported by LaGrange Paramedics to Vassar Brothers Medical Center for additional care and treatment.
The emergency operation lasted until after 4:00 p.m.
After the building was stabilized to prevent further collapse, the pickup truck was removed from within the structure, according to O’Connor.
According to O’Connor, the high temperatures impacted the rescue workers. Dutchess County Department of Transportation provided a bus for firefighters to cool down during work breaks.
The accident, believed to be caused by a medical emergency experienced by the vehicle operator, required 37 firefighters to be placed into action. The name and condition of the driver were not provided by O’Connor.
