Victim Pulled from Mangled Vehicle Reunites With Rescuers

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CHEVY CHASE, MD — A feverish hour of work by rescue crews to save a crash victim’s life, and leg, paid off.

But emergency workers didn’t know how well Kathy LaTorre had recovered from the horrific crash until she dropped by the Bethesda Chevy Chase Rescue Squad’s station for dinner Saturday night.

LaTorre also posed for pictures with some of the volunteers who helped save her life four years ago, which the rescue service shared on its Facebook page.

“We appreciate Kathy coming by to say hi and thanks and it’s great to see her doing so well,” the squad posted online.

Officials said LaTorre was critically injured early one Sunday when she fell asleep while driving home. Her vehicle slammed head-on into a Ride On bus on East-West Highway in Chevy Chase, pinning her in the wreckage.

Multiple rescue units were dispatched, including a BCCRS ambulance, medic unit, heavy rescue squad, and the rescue chief, Ned Sherburne. The team of volunteer firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs, along with Montgomery County Fire & Rescue personnel, spent almost an hour cutting LaTorre out of her mangled vehicle and managing patient care.

Her left leg was pinned, which prevented her from being easily extricated. As rescuers worked against the clock, it was uncertain whether her leg, or LaTorre, would survive, officials said.

“This was one of the most challenging calls BCCRS personnel have run. In the end, the constant training volunteers do in anticipation of such calls paid off,” the rescue squad said on Facebook.

LaTorre was taken to Suburban Hospital‘s trauma center, where doctors saved her leg. After more than a year of rehabilitation and additional surgeries, Kathy is back to dancing, biking, hiking, and skiing.

»Photos of crash scene, Kathy LaTorre with Bethesda Chevy Chase Rescue Squad members courtesy of squad’s Facebook page