Man trapped under pickup truck rescued by Ore. State Police
(CBS/KVAL/AP) EUGENE, Oregon - A man who says he was sure he was going to die when his head was trapped under the tire of a pickup truck was rescued by a passing Oregon State Police officer.
Mike Martin was desperately trying to catch the attention of passing motorists on Friday night after getting pinned in a driveway near Dorena Lake, Ore. The 58-year-old man was trying to inspect a mechanical problem when he became trapped.
State police don't normally patrol the Dorena Lake area. But the agency obtained federal grant money to keep an eye on recreation sites around the reservoir, which is why officer Marc Boyd was there. He was working overtime patrolling the area, according to CBS affiliate KVAL.
Boyd thought he saw something unusual out of the corner of his eye. He stopped and backed up, and in the darkness he saw a pickup about 12 feet from the road in a driveway with a man's body lying on the ground next to the front driver side wheel.Boyd approached.
The man under the pickup was Mike Martin, who said he needed help because his head was trapped under the wheel after the pickup rolled backward while he was looking underneath it.
Martin was conscious, in obvious pain and in need of rescue as soon as possible, according to police. He was home alone and said he tried unsuccessfully in the dark for about 20 minutes to get the attention of other passing motorists before Boyd stopped, KVAL reported.
Boyd blocked the highway with his police pickup. Two who stopped - George Swain of Dorena and Stan Severe from Junction City - helped Boyd get to work moving the pickup.
Boyd attached a tow strap to his police pickup and moved Martin's truck about a foot away from his head.
Swain and Severe helped steady the tow strap while monitoring Martin's position on the ground.
After pulling the pickup away, Swain got in and kept his foot on the brake for about 30 minutes to keep it from rolling again.
Boyd notified state police dispatch of the situation, requested medical and LifeFlight response and started initial emergency medical care.
South Lane County Fire & Rescue and LifeFlight both responded to the scene, and an air ambulance transported Martin to Sacred Heart Medical Center.
Mike Martin, who thought he was going to die, had surgery for several hours Friday night and was reportedly discharged from the hospital on Sunday.