Firefighters rescue trapped driver after flatbed truck slams into building in Pacific Palisades

PACIFIC PALISADES, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Firefighters on Thursday rescued a driver who was trapped inside the cab of a flatbed truck after the vehicle slammed into a building in Pacific Palisades.

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The single-vehicle crash was reported about 11:30 a.m. at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Chautauqua Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The truck was on Chautauqua Boulevard at the time of the crash.

Crews worked to free the driver, the truck’s only occupant, before he was removed from the cab, placed in an ambulance and transported to a hospital. Urban Search and Rescue crews also responded to the scene.

The driver was trapped inside the cab for nearly two hours amid hot temperatures. His condition was unclear.

No one was inside the building when it was struck, according to LAFD spokeswoman Jennifer Middleton.

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Two bystanders who heard the crash ran to help the driver.

“He was bloodied in the face. The windshield had broken… The roof had caved in onto his stomach. He couldn’t move or go anywhere,” said Daniel Baker, who helped the driver.

“I let him know he’s not alone and then I assessed whether, you know, it looked like we might be able to move him, but because he was so pinned in it just didn’t seem like that was possible for us,” said Chantelle Eastman, another good Samaritan.

Los Angeles police and the city departments of Building and Safety and Transportation were summoned to the scene.

Investigators have not released a cause of the crash. Residents in the area said Chautauqua Boulevard is steep and curvy and has been the site of several accidents in the past.

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