Murrieta Fire Crew Rescues Man Pinned Under Truck

A man who got stuck under the tires of his pick-up truck was recovering today thanks to the speedy--and brute--work of a Murrieta fire crew.

At about 12:19 p.m. Thursday, the man, who was not identified, was working on his mid-sized truck in his driveway on Castile Avenue, according to Murrieta Fire Capt. Dan Lopez, Fire Station No. 2.

Some how, because the driveway was sloped downward and the truck was not properly secured, the truck rolled backward over his leg, resting on his lower back, Lopez said.

The man was lying face down under the truck, home alone, Lopez said.

An off-duty Anaheim firefighter who was working in his garage was alerted to the predicament when he heard his neighbor yelling for help. He called 911.

When Engine 22 arrived from nearby California Oaks Road, the four crew members, including Lopez, Engineer James Schaaf, Firefighter/Paramedic Brandon Roach and ride-along Pechanga Firefighter Steve Gregory, quickly weighed their options.

"We assessed him," Lopez said. "He was in a severe amount of pain and we knew it was important we got him out of there. We asked ourselves, 'do we get him out now or risk paralysis?'"

So Lopez and the crew members, along with another bystander, lifted the truck up for roughly 10 to 15 seconds while an American Medical Response paramedic and the off-duty firefighter pulled the man out from underneath the truck.

The patient was taken to Inland Valley Regional Medical Center. The extent of his injuries was not known, but Lopez is confident their quick actions lessened the severity.

"They do their jobs with such professionalism," Lopez said, of his crew.

Murrieta Fire Chief Matt Shobert said he was en route to the call when he got word of the quick rescue.

"There are no routine days for MFD firefighters; we were geared up for the Santa Ana winds and had a day filled with trauma," Shobert said.

Just prior to that call, the same crew had assisted with a person who had been hit by a car while riding a motorized wheel chair. Directly after that, the crew responded to a