John Willoughby
reporter2@greenepublishing.com
Firefighters worked diligently to free an entrapped man, after being involved in a single-vehicle accident that saw a 2008 GMC Sierra symmetrically-wrapped around a tree on Thursday, Oct. 31.
Madison Fire Department (MFD) and a number of volunteer firefighters from around the county responded to the incident where 79-year-old John Sumner, of Valdosta, became entrapped in his vehicle along County Road 14, just northeast of the Taylor County line near Callahan Loop, around 4:51 p.m.
The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) reports that Sumner was traveling southbound on County Road 14 when, for unknown reasons, he lost control of his vehicle. The truck traveled off the roadway and onto the west shoulder of the road, striking a tree, causing the vehicle to flip side over side.
The bottom of the vehicle, as it was flipping, struck a tree and folded the vehicle in half. Sumner's truck came to a final rest, facing west, with the bottom of the vehicle against the halfway uprooted tree. A small fire ignited under the vehicle, however, it was quickly extinguished thanks to a passerby.
Sumner was extracted from the vehicle after firefighters and good samaritans removed the cab's roof with the jaws of life. Sumner was stabilized, placed into the back of a Madison County Fire Rescue (MCFR) ambulance and transported to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital in serious condition. Sumner was cited for failure to maintain a single lane.
FHP Trooper N. Hagedon reports that alcohol was not a factor in the incident. Trooper Hagedon was assisted at the scene by the Madison County Sheriff's Office, MFD, MCFR, Sirmans Volunteer Fire Department and New Home Volunteer Fire Department.