First responders share their experiences from 14 vehicle I-94 crash

First responders tell us the difficulties of helping victims in the bitter cold and trying not to get frostbite.

MAPLETON, N.D. (KVRR) – First responders at the scene of a 14 vehicle crash between Casselton and Mapleton on I-94 on Monday tell us the difficulties of helping victims in the bitter cold and trying not to get frostbite.

“We were initially paged out to a multivehicle accident, we were unsure about how many vehicles would be necessary for us to attend to. When we arrived on scene it was apparent that it was a large accident,” Casselton Fire Department Chief John Hejl said.

From there crews sprung into action identifying which crash victims needed immediate help. Some minor injuries were attended to at the scene and others had to be taken to the hospital.

“The weather contributed to this and made it more hazardous for our people out there,” North Dakota Highway Patrol Lt. Troy Hischer said.

“It spreads our resources thin, we had to have people well back away from the crash making sure the crash scene was safe for the first responders, for the fire department. It’s difficult to get people in and out. We need blankets for the accident victims. You know, just a lot more equipment is required,” Hischer said.

“Everybody there that was relatively healthy was just curious of what was happening I guess, but just content to just sit tight until things were over and so it’s kind of surprising. Even the folks that were injured in the accident were relatively calm,” Hejl said.

Firefighters began cutting cars open and removing people. Ambulances began taking people to the hospital and state patrol and deputies worked to keep the scene safe.

“We’re all out there on the same team. No matter what uniform we’re in, if it’s a fireman, highway patrol or deputy. We’re all pushing towards the same goal, the end game is to get people to where they’re safe,” Hischer said.

There are some things the community can do to possibly avoid weather-related accidents.

“We have different levels of warning the public. We have travel alerts to let people know there is ice etc. When we post a no travel alert which was up before this crash yesterday, it was a no travel we really mean that,” Hischer said.

“If you don’t have to go anywhere stay home, stay warm, stay safe,” Hejl said.

Weather related crashes affect visibility and endangers first responders by exposing them to oncoming traffic.