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Show Four Suffer Injuries On Highway 12 ESCALANTE Four young women whose car rolled as they headed for Escalante after coming off the "Blues" on Highway 12 arc alive to tell about it after their accident challenged the county's emergency response teams to the fullest on Thursday, Mar. 27. Curl Richins and son Shawn Coleman also traveling toward Escalante, were among the first passcrsby on the scene of the 5:15 p.m accident at Milcpost 42. Rich-ins, Rich-ins, a Search and Rescue team member, radioed for help. Escalante Police Chief Sandie Hitchcock helped to relay information informa-tion between the Garfield County Sheriffs dispatch center in Panguitch Pan-guitch and the accident scene where radio reception was extremely poor. But the word got out and three ambulances were dispatched to the scene. Amy Hardy, 20, Sandy, the driver, was thrown from the 1989 Mazda that, according to Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Jim Keller who investigated, had been traveling travel-ing at excessive speed. The vehicle had gone off the right side of the road and, when the driver over-corrected, over-corrected, it slid off the left side, rolling one and three-quarters times before coming to rest. Hardy was ejected, suffering serious head injuries, a punctured lung, and arm and leg lractures. Erica Oliphant, 19, Sandy, was also ejected. She sustained a dislocated hip and various cuts and bruises. Emily Hardy, 17, sister to Amy, was removed from the vehicle with head and other injuries. The fourth occupant, Gwcn Allen, 22, Orcm, was trapped in the front passenger seat. Members of the Escalante Fire Department who had arrived on the scene with extrication equipment had to remove the top of the car in order to remove the victim. She suffered head, neck and arm injuries. As ambulances and Emergency Medical Technicians began arriving on the scene, all were pressed into service, as well as passcrsby who had stopped to offer help. Although the Escalante ambulance ambu-lance was first on the scene, its personnel per-sonnel were busy attending victims, so the moment that the Bryce Mountain ambulance arrived, Amy Hardy was placed on board along with her sister Emily and they were rushed toward Garfield Memorial Hospital in Panguitch, 50 miles away. Sheriff's Dispatcher Mike Owens had called for Classic Helicopters Heli-copters emergency helicopter out of Page, Ariz, which rendezvoused with the ambulance in Cannonville. Amy Hardy was whisked to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George where she was stabilized before being flown to LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City where her condition in the hospital's shock-trauma shock-trauma unit was grave at the outset. i By Tuesday night, her condition at the Salt Lake City hospital was listed as fair. Gwen Allen, the next most seriously injured, was transported in the Escalante ambulance to Garfield Memorial Hospital where she, too, was subsequently life-flighted life-flighted to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo. Hospital personnel reported her condition on Tuesday night as stable. Erica Oliphant was transported in the Bryce Valley ambulance to the hospital in Panguitch where both she and Emily were released by Sunday night. A number of EMT's from Escalante, the Bryce Valley area, Bryce, and Bryce Canyon were at the scene assisting, as well as Search and Rescue team members, and volunteers of the Escalante Fire Department. Also assisting at the accident scene was Physicians Assistant Bob McCullough, who traveled in the ambulance with Amy and Emily Hardy to the helicopter rendezvous site in Cannonville where Amy was transferred trans-ferred to the helicopter and Emily continued on to the hospital with Emily Hardy in the ambulance. Parents of the injured girls expressed their gratitude for the emergency care rendered to their daughters and Trooper Keller echoed their words with high praise for the fine work by all of the county's volunteer emergency personnel. per-sonnel. 1 1 |
