Off-duty EMT and friend rescue driver from burning truck in Oakville

Updated at 6:16 p.m.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A pair of passing motorists kicked out a window and pulled an unconscious man from a truck that wrecked and burst into flames near Oakville this afternoon.

The Washington State Patrol said a Ford Cargo van was eastbound on U.S. Highway 12 when it crossed the centerline, climbed an embankment and rolled over onto its top. A fire started in the engine, according to the state patrol.

The driver, Ben W. Thomas, 51, of Olympia, was taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia for evaluation, according to responders.

Grays Harbor County Fire District 1 was called at 1 p.m. to the wreck near Ross Road, a mile west of Oakville, according to Fire Capt. Ryan Graham.

When firefighters arrived seven minutes later, 25 foot high flames were coming off the truck, Graham said.

“I congratulated the guy and said you guys saved the day,” Graham said.

He didn’t have their names but thought the couple were from out of state, maybe New York, and had just moved to Vancouver. The woman said she was an EMT, he said.

It was a mobile slaughter truck full of meat, according to Trooper Krista Hedstrom. The cab of the truck was destroyed, but they were able to recover the undamaged load, she said.

Graham said the driver was unconscious, but just waking up as the couple pulled him to safety. He didn’t really have any visible injuries, Graham said. Hedstrom said his injuries were described to her as minor cuts to his face.

Highway 12 was closed in both directions for about two hours and only partially opened for the third hour, according to Graham.

The cause is under investigation.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, August 11th, 2011 at 6:01 pm and is filed under Top story of the day. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

One Response to “Off-duty EMT and friend rescue driver from burning truck in Oakville”

  1. Andrea says:
    Friday, August 12, 2011 at 5:24 pm

    Thank you for your hard work on the articles of your website. I saw Ben’s wrecked and burned slaughter truck on Highway 12 yesterday, and was so worried, because anyone with cows in Thurston County knows Ben. There are no other articles so far, not even in the Olympian, but your article was very thorough and reassuring that he should be OK. Thanks again!