Driver impaled by four inch steel pipe

UPDATE

Authorities said that the driver that was impaled by a steel pipe Monday morning was a 27-year-old man.

According to the Yuma Police Department, the driver was listed as critical but in stable conditions Monday afternoon.

The incident remains under investigation.

ORIGINAL STORY

A driver was transported to a trauma center in Phoenix after a steel pipe pierced through a vehicle on Monday, according to the Yuma Fire Department.

YFD said a crash was reported on County 12 th Street at Avenue 5-1/2E where the Yuma Police Department said a driver was injured and trapped in the vehicle. Personnel arrived at that location to find the vehicle on the north side of the road in a construction area.

A four-inch pipe had pierced the entire vehicle from the driver’s door to the passenger compartment and out the rear passenger door.

The pipe was protruding out both sides of the vehicle and had impaled and pinned the driver.

YFD said emergency personnel worked with the onsite construction crew to stabilize the pipe while paramedics provided patient care. YFD personnel used saws and tools to disassemble the vehicle around the driver.

The pipe was cut on either side of the driver, who was later removed from the vehicle and transported to a waiting helicopter. The process took approximately 90 minutes.

YFD said the driver was conscious and able to communicate with rescue workers and was transported with the embedded section of the pipe to a trauma center in the Phoenix area.

The traffic crash is being investigated by the Yuma Police Department.