Pickup trucks

[billyleach]

How many have performed the technique where the rear of a pickup truck cab wall was cut away to offer egress for a packaged patient?

Simply make vertical cuts at each corner of the front bed wall; fold it down to expose rear truck cab wall. Then make vertical cuts on the rear cab wall and fold it down also.

Cut away the seat supports and move packaged patient outward to maintain axial spine alingnment.

Lets hear from you serious extrication folks.

[rmoore]

I really have to laugh about this specific evolution. Removing the front wall of the pickup truck bed and then removing the rear wall of the cab of the pickup has been described as 'pickup truck tunneling' by one New Jersey instructor. This is in reference to the true 'trunk tunneling' evolution that is accomplished on a sedan automobile.

Let me tell you from a 'been there, done that' perspective; there is no comparison between cutting the sheetmetal wall of a pickup truck away compared to the real work of tunneling through a trunk to access the interior of a passenger car.

Remember, remove the roof of the pickup prior to taking away the rear wall of the cab. Roof removal will provide the most access to your patients, especially those in the rear seat area of the pickup.

[Rescue101]

What if your roof is wrapped completely around a tree as was the case of the one we did? Nutshell: An s-10 flipped and hit a tree roof first,dead square.Patient severely injured but viable. Truck leaking gas. We cut the frame behind the cab and removed the fuel problem. Then we cut the back wall and the floor away(and the seat)to remove the patient. He lived and walked out of the Hospital a week later to tell us all what a bunch of A**holes we were for cutting his truck. I guess thats gratitude. T.C.

[voyager9]

Any pics of this? I would have thought the frame rails would be too thick to quickly get through.

What did you do about his gun rack? And did he keep the deer he had bungied to the hood?

[Rescue101]

No pics,things were a little hectic and we weren't overburdened with help. C frame on a S-10 cuts easy. No deer and no gun rack. Essentially we cut away the right rear of the cab and part of the right rear floor to get him out. He was wabbed up under the dash and pedals. SLOW process but worked. That was one MESSED UP S 10. T.C.