LYNDEN, Wash. — First responders were dispatched about 5:05pm today, Tuesday, March 15th, to the 1000 block of Birch Bay-Lynden Road due to a report of a single vehicle crash with fire and the driver still in the vehicle.
North Whatcom Fire & Rescue Fire Chief Jason Van der Veen told Whatcom News that the driver reportedly suffered a medical emergency at the time of the crash. The SUV had left the road and ended up rotated at a steep angle while being wedged between 2 trees.
A Lynden Police officer and a bystander were credited with attempting to extinguish the fire using a nearby garden hose and fire extinguishers and then rescuing the driver from the burning vehicle.
The driver was transported by a medic unit to PeaceHealth St Joseph Medical Center with serious injuries. Van der Veen noted the driver was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
I was on scene within 3 minutes of the crash. It appeared that because the driver did not have his seatbelt on he was thrown to the passenger side where he was pulled from. If he would have had his seat belt on he could have very well been trapped at the top (driver side) of the car where the fire was. There were many brave men and women which stopped and helped. 5 or 6 fire extinguishers were used, a garden hose and a spray truck were used to put the fire out.