Man rescued from burning car

Published 2:13 am Thursday, November 25, 2010

Bridge Road crash

Firefighters look over the wreckage of a car whose driver they rescued Wednesday morning when he crashed into a traffic signal pole and was trapped inside while the vehicle caught fire.

Suffolk firefighters rescued a man who was pinned in his burning car Wednesday morning after he crashed into a large light pole on Bridge Road at Plummer Boulevard.

The driver of the four-door sedan ran off the road, struck a light pole and the traffic signal pole just after 10 a.m. Wednesday. His vehicle sustained extensive front-end damage, and he was pinned inside, according to Suffolk spokesperson Debbie George.

A fire broke out in the vehicle’s engine compartment, and when firefighters arrived on the scene, the smoke inside the vehicle was so thick that the driver could not be seen, George said in a press release.

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Crews from Ladder 5 and Engine 5 simultaneously fought the fire and extricated the man from his vehicle.

The driver, whom police did not identify, suffered injuries, burns and smoke inhalation. He was flown by Nightingale air ambulance to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where he was listed in serious condition, according to George.

The accident remains under investigation.