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Three people, identified by a 911 caller as teenagers, were taken to Stanford Hospital with “significant” injuries after a solo vehicle rollover crash in Menlo Park on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 16), according to the Menlo Park Fire Protection District.
The San Mateo County Public Safety Communications Center received a 911 emergency transfer call from Menlo Park police at 12:58 p.m. reporting that an SUV occupied by three teenagers had rolled over on Valparaiso and Altschul avenues, the fire district said in a press release.
The first Menlo fire district engine arrived on scene at 1:01 p.m. and found that two people were trapped inside the car and a third had been ejected and was lying in the street near a sheered-off light pole.
Crews stabilized the upside-down car and used the Jaws of Life to extricate the trapped occupants by 1:20 p.m., the fire district said.
The driver and passengers were taken to Stanford Hospital via ambulance, with each patient accompanied by a Menlo Park firefighter/paramedic.
In a statement, fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman said the area where the accident occurred, known as Sharon Hills Park, is a “significantly steep section of road for this area that slightly winds about with some pedestrian traffic at times.” He said it appeared that the car had been coming down the hill when it hit the light pole and rolled over.
“These three individuals all sustained significant injuries and anytime our Firefighter/Paramedics ride into the hospital with a patient, it speaks to the severity of the emergency and need to provide the highest and most consistent level of care possible, in order to try and save a life,” Schapelhouman said.
The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, Menlo Park Police Department and California Highway Patrol responded and initially helped firefighters with patient care and scene control before law enforcement officials began their investigation. The Sheriff’s Office is the lead agency investigating the cause of the crash, the fire district said.
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A Menlo Park teenager was tragically killed at that very intersection in the late 1980’s. Subsequently the city erected a stop sign on Altschul; this event is different, an out-of-control vehicle.
Well done, Menlo Fire! And hoping for a full and speedy recovery for all the young people involved in this accident.