HORSEHEADS, NY — Firefighters rescued a person trapped in an SUV after a U-Haul truck struck a building overhang, causing it to collapse onto the vehicle Thursday afternoon.
The Horseheads Fire/Rescue Department was dispatched at approximately 1:26 p.m. to a business on Grand Central Avenue in the village for a report of a vehicle that had struck the building.
Engine 1034 arrived to find a U-Haul truck had struck the overhang, causing a pancake-style collapse onto an SUV with the operator still inside.
Additional resources from Elmira Heights Fire Department were requested for stabilization equipment.
Members from Horseheads Fire/Rescue Department and Elmira Heights Fire Department deployed six Res-Q-Jack stabilization jacks and shored up the building so the operator could safely be removed through the back seat of the vehicle.
Members assisted the occupant to an awaiting Erway Ambulance crew for evaluation while simultaneously securing utilities and further hazards.
With assistance from Chemung County Fire/Emergency Management, New York State Fire technical rescue was contacted to assist with a plan to keep the incident stable and limit further damage.
Village code enforcement and a structural engineer from Hunt Engineering determined that LCP Demolishing was needed to detach the overhang from the main building due to weight and structural integrity concerns while removing the vehicles safely.
No injuries were reported.
The Horseheads Fire/Rescue Department operated for six hours before turning the incident over to business management.
