Two Crashes in Separate Parts of the County

ALACHUA COUNTY ‒ Area firefighters had their hands full on Dec. 26 with two crashes in different parts of Alachua County.  In Micanopy, at approximately 5 a.m. Sunday morning units from Alachua County Fire Rescue (ACFR) and Micanopy Fire Department responded to a report of a single vehicle crash in the southbound lane of U.S. Highway 441 near Micanopy.  Upon arrival rescue personnel found a 2002 Chrysler minivan on its side with a 60-year-old Ocala man trapped inside.  

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the vehicle traveled off of the road and onto the center grass median for unknown reasons.  Once in the median, the driver lost control of the vehicle and it overturned.

The driver was removed from the vehicle using the jaws of life and was transported to UF Health Shands in stable condition.

Later the same day in Hawthorne, units from Alachua County Fire Rescue and Windsor Fire Rescue were dispatched to the scene of a two-vehicle crash at approximately 3 p.m.  The crash occurred on Hawthorne Road near County Road 325.  Upon arrival, rescue personnel found both vehicles with heavy damage and one person trapped inside one of the vehicles.

The jaws of life were used to extricate the trapped individual, who was determined to be in critical condition and was transported to the UF Health Shands trauma center.  A second person was transported to Shands with non-life-threatening injuries.  

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