Tuesday crash victim: ‘She is very lucky to be alive’

When Paula McNealy crashed her Pontiac Vibe Tuesday morning part of her vehicle went about 10-feet off the roadway and struck a tree. The other part of her vehicle, which she was still inside of at the time, traveled at least 50 feet down a steep embankment before coming to rest.

This Pontiac Vibe split in two Tuesday as it hit a tree off of US25W. The rest of the vehicle went another 50 feet down the embankment.

She was resting her arm on part of a tree limb that had gone through what was left of her vehicle when emergency workers got to her.

“She is lucky. The Lord was riding with her,” said South Whitley Volunteer Fire Department Capt. Ed Leforce.

The accident happened about 10:40 a.m. along US25W near Veach Lane in southern Whitley County.

Whitley County Detention Center Deputy Jailer Matt Leach and his work release crew of

Emergency workers with South Whitley Volunteer Fire Department and the Jellico Rescue Squad helped carry an injured woman up a steep embankment Tuesday morning following a one-vehicle accident.

prisoners were the first people to happen upon the accident shortly after it occurred, and rendered aid until fire fighters and rescue personnel could arrive.

“As we were driving through here we saw the debris from the road, and we all stopped to help because it was an emergency situation,” Leach said. “After an impact like that she is very lucky to be alive.”

Leforce said that emergency workers pulled McNealy’s door open by hand, and used a chainsaw to cut some tree limbs out of the way so they could free her and get her up the very steep embankment.

Rescuers were able to place McNealy in a stokes basket and used a rope to help pull her up the embankment with the help of climbing first responders to a pair of waiting Whitley County EMS ambulances.

Many rescue workers then used ropes themselves to assist their climb back up the embankment.

South Whitley Volunteer Fire Department set up an emergency landing zone at Boston Elementary School where an Air Methods emergency medical helicopter landed.

Officials at the scene were uncertain about which hospital she was flown to.

McNealy was the only person in the vehicle at the time of the accident.

Leach said coming across such accidents isn’t something he and his prisoners are used to pulling up on, but it is becoming a more common occurrence.

One week ago, they came upon an accident scene on Highway 26 when a man’s vehicle went over an embankment.

Kentucky State Police are investigating the crash. South Whitley Volunteer Fire Department, the Jellico Rescue Squad, Whitley County EMS, Whitley County Emergency Management Director Danny Moses and Kentucky Emergency Management Region 9 Regional Response Manager Jerry Rains all assisted at the scene.