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Press release from the Arcata Fire District:

Arcata Fire Department responded to an injury traffic accident on Highway 101 near School Road last night, involving a vehicle overturned in the grass with a trapped occupant. The incident, dispatched at 9:30 PM, required a multi-agency extrication effort due to the complexity of the entrapment.

Arcata Fire initially dispatched two engines and a Duty Officer. Upon receiving information from California Highway Patrol (CHP) that a victim was trapped, additional resources were immediately requested. This brought in a third Arcata Fire station, Blue Lake Fire Department, Fieldbrook Volunteer Fire Department, and CalFire Trinidad, each contributing an engine to the scene.

The first Arcata engine arrived to find the vehicle on its side, pinned against a tree just south of the School Road off-ramp, with one person trapped inside. All three Arcata engines worked to stabilize the vehicle and meticulously cut it away from both the tree and the victim. Blue Lake Fire and CalFire personnel assisted significantly with the extrication.

The rescue proved to be highly technical, as the victim was severely pinned by the tree resting against the vehicle. After a challenging operation, the victim was successfully extricated and transported to the hospital by Arcata Mad River Ambulance.

Arcata Fire Department extends its sincere gratitude to its mutual aid partners: Blue Lake Fire Department, Fieldbrook Volunteer Fire Department, and CalFire, for their swift response and critical assistance in this complex incident.