Longview, WA – At 11:21 AM today, the Longview Fire Department responded to a report of a motor vehicle collision involving a minivan that left the roadway, struck a pedestrian, and crashed into an apartment complex. Initial dispatch reports indicated that the pedestrian was unconscious and a victim inside the apartment was trapped.
The first fire unit arrived at 11:24 AM and observed the minivan inside the apartment, an unconscious patent outside the van in the lawn, a trapped subject between the van and the inside wall of the apartment, and a third patient inside the van. Additional emergency crews and a LifeFlight helicopter were requested.
The female pedestrian was transported to PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center by Medix ambulance in critical condition. A female occupant of the apartment, trapped under rubble and the vehicle, was extricated by firefighters using chainsaws to cut through the wall and was transported in critical condition by LifeFlight helicopter to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center. The elderly male driver of the van was transported by Medix ambulance to PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center in stable condition. Due to federal and state privacy laws, specific medical information about the patients cannot be disclosed.
Residents of the apartment complex were evacuated pending inspection of the building’s structural stability by the Longview Department of Building and Planning. Electrical power to the apartments was disconnected as a precaution.
This incident is under investigation by the Longview Police Department.