Grandmother dies when she is pinned after her SUV hits tree in Flagler County, FHP says
A Flagler County child called for help Monday as her 59-year-old grandmother fatally suffocated after she was pinned by her sport utility vehicle, which collided with a tree after she failed to put it in park, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The accident happened on private property off Strickland Road and Boice Lane, according to FHP. It is a rural area in southeastern Flagler County, according to Google Maps. The woman died at the scene, the FHP stated.
It took first responders from Ormond Beach Fire Department about 20 minutes to reach the scene, which required travel over a stretch of dirt road.
A 12-year-old child called 911 to report her grandmother was in danger, saying she was stuck between the door and the seat.
"She's dying. She's being suffocated by the door," the child tells the dispatcher.
A few seconds later the dispatcher asked, "Is there an adult there I can talk to?"
"No, the only adult is dying!" the child said.
The child, sounding like she was crying at times but was composed much of the time, said there were other people in the house but they were also children.
The child said the car got stuck on a basketball hoop and then became unstuck and started moving. Her grandmother tried to get back in the car got trapped between the door and the car, the child said.
At 10:44 p.m. and 31 seconds, the dispatch notes read that the child said the grandmother was not breathing.
The child said the grandmother had asked her to put the car in reverse but the car would not go backwards.
At 10:58 p.m., an adult who described himself as a friend got on the line. The dispatcher told him not to try to move the vehicle to prevent any further injury to the woman.
The adult said he could not get a pulse.
"Please, God, don't let this happen," a man is heard saying in the background. It appears to be a second man.
First-responders took about 20 minutes to arrive
The Ormond Beach Fire Department responded through mutual aid and was on scene in 19.5 minutes, according to city spokeswoman Jenn Elston.
She wrote that the estimated drive from Station 94 to the scene is approximately 15 minutes according to Google Maps.
"The route is an unmaintained, unpaved road, and the fire truck weighs approximately 55,000 pounds. Based on this, responding in 19.5 minutes is expected," Elston wrote.
The News-Journal checked on Google Maps and it showed the drive time from Station 94 at 2301 Strickland Road to the scene to be about 12 or 13 minutes. However, Google Maps does not take into account that it was a heavy fire engine on a dirt road.
Volusia County Fire Rescue Fire Chief Joe King said vehicles had to travel on a dirt road as soon as they exited North Tymber Creek Road.
The call is first mentioned on dispatch notes from Flagler County at 10:41 p.m. It was transferred from Volusia at 10:41 p.m. and 22 seconds and was transferred back to Volusia at 10:42 and 40 seconds, according to the computer-assisted dispatch notes.
Flagler County Fire Chief Michael Tucker said his agency received the call from Volusia communications center but the call was "immediately" referred back to Volusia because it was closer.
Tucker said calls in that area are given to Volusia County because they are closer and Ormond Beach has the closest station.
FHP Report: Didn't put vehicle in park
The FHP described the woman as an Ormond Beach resident, but the child indicated the woman was her grandmother and she lived on the property, according to the 911 call.
The woman was leaving her driveway when her SUV struck an item, said FHP Master Sgt. Dylan Bryan. The woman got out of the SUV to move the item but didn’t put the vehicle in park and it started to roll, he said.
She was trying to get back into the SUV when it struck a tree and she was pinned between the vehicle and the driver’s side door, Bryan said.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Grandmother dies when she is pinned in Flagler crash, FHP says
