Four Sets of Extrication Tools Used in Fiery Boston Crash
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Aug. 21--North Andover brothers, nearly burned to death in a horrific one-car crash on Storrow Drive early yesterday morning, miraculously are expected to survive thanks to the heroism of firefighters and state police who wouldn't give up on saving their lives.
"It was a total team effort," said Boston Fire Department spokesman Steve MacDonald.
The siblings, 27 and 29, who remain unnamed by police, were trapped in their white Infiniti after hitting a tree next to the eastbound lane near the Kenmore Square off-ramp. The car was so mangled that jakes from Allston-based Engine 41 and Ladder 14, along with Rescue 1 and 2, had to use four sets of Jaws of Life to peel back the wreckage -- a feat possible only after the raging flames were put out, said MacDonald.
Troopers first on scene tried to extricate the brothers, but the heat and fire were too much, threatening their own lives. One fire captain on the scene said he "was absolutely shocked that the (victims) were still alive because of the volume of fire. They were screaming in pain," MacDonald recounted.
The car crashed just before 4:15 a.m., said Jake Wark, spokesman for Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley. Investigators were not sure where the men were headed or from where they had come.
Wark described their injuries as "grievous" and "terrible." Both were hospitalized in critical condition, but "are expected to survive," he said.
Police want to talk to anyone who witnessed the crash or knows anything related. Call state police detectives at 617-727-8817.
lsweet@bostonherald.com
