A WOMAN was airlifted to hospital in a serious condition after a head-on crash near Cunningar on Saturday 5 kilometres from Harden.
The woman, believed to be aged 60, was trapped by confinement in her Mitsubishi Magna for over an hour before being freed by fire and rescue services. She was later flown to Canberra Hospital in a serious condition, by the Snowy Hydro SouthCare rescue helicopter, with severe leg injuries.
The force of the collision left the cars crumpled, with the Magna coming to rest under a tree beside the road. Fire and Rescue station commander Wal Leonow described the crash as a “high-speed head-on”.
Wal said crews arrived to find a young girl, believed to eight years old, laying on the side of the road. She was being tendered to by a passer-by who happened to be an Army servicemen.
He said the woman who had to be airlifted was “severely” trapped by confinement and she was freed by FRNSW crews from Harden. The other driver was trapped by confinement in her Mazda 3. The Young crew sent a tanker to Harden to cover the Harden crew in the event of another emergency.
An Ambulance NSW spokesman said all three patients were treated by paramedics at the scene. The young girl was assessed for seatbelt injuries before being taken to Harden District Hospital, along with the other woman. Both were transported in a stable condition with minor injuries.
Multiple ambulances from Harden and Young responded to the accident, with two Rural Fire Service units from Cunningar and Demondrille on the scene. Crime scene investigators allowed the cars to be removed and the road was cleared of oil fuel and debris.
The crash forced the closure of the highway until about 10pm on Saturday and the Harden Fire and Rescue crew provided lighting in to the night during the forensic investigation. Detours were in place diverting traffice to the Jugiong Road so that they could rejoin the Hume Highway at Jugiong.
Wal said that it was a “job well done by all emergency services in freeing and treating the patients”.
