POULSBO — Less than three days after extrication training on new hybrid vehicles and high strength steel vehicle construction, firefighters utilized this knowledge, along with new extrication tools, to quickly remove the roof of a Toyota Prius. The two elderly injured passengers, who were suspended by their seat belts, were safely extricated and transported to Harrison Hospital in Bremerton with serious injuries Saturday.

Poulsbo Fire, Poulsbo Police and North Kitsap Fire & Rescue responded to this two-car vehicle collision Oct. 6, just before 6 p.m. on Highway 305 and Lincoln Road. When firefighters arrived on scene, they found two vehicles blocking the center lane of Highway 305. One car was on its side and had significant damage to the driver’s door and the driver’s compartment. The safest and most efficient option to remove the patients, a 74-year-old Poulsbo woman and a 79-year-old Poulsbo male, was to cut off the roof and backboard the patients.

Poulsbo Police are investigating the incident. The driver and passenger of the second vehicle involved in the collision, a small four-door sedan, reported no injuries.