Deputies pull woman from burning vehicle
A fiery head-on collision Saturday morning on Tucson’s west side critically injured a woman, seriously injured a man, and caused a deputy to inhale smoke as he tried to rescue a victim.
The two-vehicle crash, which set both vehicles on fire, occurred about 9 a.m. at West Bopp Road at South Camino Verde.
When Deputy Adrian Gallo arrived, he saw a woman trapped in one of the vehicles.
“The deputy tried to pry the door open and in the process inhaled quite a lot of smoke,” said department spokesman Deputy Tom Peine.
Gallo was unable to open the door because the vehicle was damaged in the crash.
Deputy Joe L. Serrano then arrived and deputies used the winch from his vehicle to pull open the driver’s-side door.
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The 69-year-old woman was pulled from the vehicle and taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, Peine said.
Gallo was driven to a hospital in another deputy’s car and treated for smoke inhalation and minor injuries. He has since been released.
Deputies determined that an older pickup truck was traveling west on West Bopp, approaching the intersection at South Camino Verde, when it came upon a vehicle that was stopped and waiting for traffic to clear to make a left turn.
The driver of the truck swerved off the road, passing the vehicle on the right, and returned to the road, pulling into the eastbound lane of traffic, Peine said. The truck hit the vehicle driven by the woman head-on.
The driver of the truck, a 21-year-old man, was not wearing a seatbelt. He had serious injuries and was taken to a hospital.
Caitlin Schmidt
