British Columbia

Man in grave condition after rollover crash in Maple Ridge

A man is in grave condition after he crashed his car, flipping it into a water-filled ditch in Maple Ridge, B.C., according to the B.C. Ambulance Service.

Maple Ridge firefighters used a low pressure airbag to lift the vehicle off the trapped man

A Maple Ridge firefighter guides an ambulance away from a helicopter landing zone, as paramedics try to resuscitate a man pulled from a car crash in grave condition. (Rafferty Baker/CBC)

A man 28-year old was taken to hospital in grave condition after he crashed his car, flipping it into a water-filled ditch in Maple Ridge, B.C., according to the B.C. Ambulance Service.

The crash happened at about 1 a.m. PT Wednesday in the 23300-block of Dogwood Avenue.

An investigator with the RCMP Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service (ICARS) said the man appeared to have been backing out of a driveway, when he went too far, backed across the street and into the ditch, rolling the car.

Maple Ridge first responders were called to rescue the man, who was trapped upside-down in the water.

"Upon arrival, the crews were able to get some low pressure airbags, and lifted the vehicle off the person, and the RCMP were assisting, and they helped pull the person out of the ditch," said Mark Smitton, Assistant Maple Ridge Fire Chief.

Ridge Meadows RCMP officers investigate after a single car rollover crash sent a man to hospital in grave condition, early Wednesday morning. (Rafferty Baker/CBC)

The driver was taken to a nearby landing zone to meet the air ambulance for transport to hospital. A female passenger was also rescued from the vehicle and taken to the hospital in stable condition. Their identities have not been released.

"The air ambulance arrived, so we set up a landing zone for them, then the advanced paramedics continued with a patient assessment and they determined that it would be better to continue with ground ambulance to the hospital," said Smitton.

Paramedics could be seen continuously attempting to resuscitate the man inside the ambulance.

Ridge Meadows RCMP, along with ICARS, will investigate the crash.

A car lies upside-down in a water filled ditch after a man crashed off of Dogwood Avenue, early Wednesday morning. (Rafferty Baker/CBC)