South Carolina woman uses toes to dial 911 after both her hands are crushed while changing flat tire
WALTERBORO, SOUTH CAROLINA: A South Carolina woman's innovative thinking ensured she made the best of a disastrous situation, using her feet to dial for help after both her hands were crushed under the wheels of her car as she tried to change the tire.
The unnamed 54-year-old woman had gotten a flat tire while traveling down a rural stretch of the I-95 in South Carolina on February 2 and stopped to change it near mile marker 68 when everything went wrong, according to WCBD News 2.
As she was replacing the tire, the jack slipped, causing the car to fall and crush both of her hands between the tire and the fender. Realizing no one would be driving up to help, she concluded the only way she would be getting out the situation alive was if she used her feet to call 911.
"She was trapped alone on the side of the dark Interstate, experiencing excruciating pain," said Colleton County Fire-Rescue. "Over the next 35 minutes, she was able to slip off one shoe and manipulate her cell. After many attempts, she was able to dial 9-1-1 with her toes and advise them of her predicament."
Fire rescue units who were nearby cleaning the scene of another incident were immediately dispatched to the scene, where it became apparent that it would not be an easy task to get her free.
They initially used a prybar without success and then tried to deflate the tire to remove the air. However, the car just dropped as the tire deflated and the woman was still stuck.
They eventually managed to free one of her arms using the prybar, and another crew arrived and deployed a Holmatro Hydraulic Spreader to help lift the car and free her other hand.
Between the time she had gotten stuck and was freed, 45 minutes had passed, and she reportedly suffered severe damage to both hands, as well as all her fingers.
Firefighter paramedics treated her injuries on the scene as best as they could and administered pain medication before transporting her to the Trauma Center at Trident Hospital in North Charleston. Her current condition is not known.