Update on driver that was pinned to his vehicle by a four-inch steel pipe

UPDATE: A gofundme account has been created to help pay for the driver’s medical bills.

Early Monday morning, Yuma Fire Department personnel went through a 90-minute process to rescue a 27-year-old man from his vehicle.

The man was traveling down Avenue 5 1/2 E when he swerved to avoid colliding with a semi truck that had made a wide turn.

According to the Yuma Police Department (YPD), the passenger car went into an ongoing construction area causing a four-inch steel pipe to cut through the vehicle which impaled the driver and pinned him to the vehicle.

Yuma Fire Department (YFD) said that YPD was first to arrive on the scene .

When YFD arrived on the scene , they saw that the pipe had pierced the vehicle from the driver’s door through to the passenger compartment and out the rear passenger door.

According to YPD, the semi-truck remained on scene.

YFD used saws and tools to stabilize the pipe and disassemble the car and cut enough of it to rescue the driver.

The pipe was cut on either side of the driver who was removed and placed into a helicopter which transported him to a trauma center in Phoenix.

YFD said the driver was able to remain conscious and communicated with rescue workers.

Mike Erfert, public information officer with YFD, said the pipe had to remain in contact with the driver’s leg.

“By removing it just by its positioning could be stopping massive blood loss, by removing it, you could be endangering that person further,” said Erfert .

Firefighter and EMT crews are trained to help their patients stay calm as a way of patient care to keep the person from going into shock in such a traumatic situation.

“It was a very difficult scene, in four decades of public safety, I have never seen anything like that before,” said Erfert .

According to the man’s family member, he is responsive and in stable condition.

The driver underwent another procedure on Tuesday afternoon.

A resident who lived near the scene said that when she heard the collision, she ran to see what had happened.

She noticed a plain white truck had been traveling east when the collision occurred.

She said she could hear the driver yelling from the car.

The collision is still under investigation and The Yuma Police Department encourages anyone with any information about this case to call (928) 373-4700 or 78-Crime at (928) 782-7463 to remain anonymous.