Firefighters turned a Kia Rio into a convertible Tuesday morning in an effort to extricate the driver.
At about 7:50 a.m. Tuesday, the driver of the vehicle smashed into a guardrail on Illinois 143 east of the former power plant in East Alton’s jurisdiction. No other people were in the vehicle, and no other vehicles were involved in the accident.
Authorities at the accident scene said the driver, whose name had not been released Tuesday, suffered facial lacerations and chest pains in the crash. East Alton firefighters were unable to free the driver from the vehicle, prompting a nearly hour-long extrication effort using hydraulic rescue tools to cut through the car’s support posts and remove its roof.
During the extrication, East Alton Fire Chief Tim Quigley was inside the vehicle with the driver, covered with a sheet to keep glass and debris from falling on them. Once freed from the vehicle, the driver was transported to a local hospital by Alton Memorial Ambulance paramedics.