TCAD Paramedics Rescue Driver From Burning Vehicle

PRESS RELEASE

HOLLISTER, MO—TCAD Paramedics Shea Lathrum and Brandon Busch were returning to Taney County from an out-of-county transport Dec. 18, 2020, when they observed a motor vehicle accident on U.S. Highway 65 in Christian County. The paramedics witnessed a vehicle impact a rock bluff at highway speed. Immediately after witnessing the accident, the paramedics requested assistance from the jurisdictions having authority.

Because of the terrain, Lathrum and Busch had to travel about a mile south to find a safe place to turn around. When they arrived back at the scene, the paramedics found a heavily damaged vehicle on fire with an unconscious driver still inside. Lathrum and Busch deployed fire extinguishers and were able to pry the driver's side door open to extract the patient. Within seconds, the vehicle was fully engulfed in fire.

The patient had sustained critical injuries and was transported to an emergency trauma center in Springfield, Missouri. No further information about the patient or injuries sustained in the accident are currently available.

TCAD Paramedics thanks the Christian County Ambulance District, Highlandville Fire Department, Christian County Sheriffs Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol—all of whom responded to the accident.

TCAD Paramedics is the exclusive ambulance transport service for Taney County, Missouri, which has a year-round population of approximately 53,000 residents and boasts over 8 million visitors annually. TCAD has served Taney County for over 40 years and responds to approximately 14,000 ambulance requests annually across its 640-square-mile district. TCAD Paramedics was voted the 2019 Missouri EMS Service of the Year and is the only dual CAAS/ACE-accredited ambulance district in Missouri.