Woman Seriously Injured at Bethesda Metro Station

Rescue Squad units responded to a call for a woman who was struck by a train during a Monday morning rush hour.

Shortly before 8:00 a.m., Rescue Squad 741 and Medic 741 were dispatched to the Bethesda Metro station, along with units from Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and Glen Echo.  They arrived on scene to find that a train had struck the woman on the southbound (inbound) track near the middle of the station.  The patient was underneath the train, several cars back, and between the two rails.  However, she was not pinned.

Crews shut down the third rail power so that they could safety enter the track bed where the patient was located.  The initial plan was to place the woman into a Stokes Basket and drag her to the front of the train.  However, when they gained direct access, the squad crew discovered that they could place a backboard underneath her and remove her directly from the track bed between the two cars where she was wedged.  In this way, the patient was removed more quickly so that she could be stabilized and assessed.  Medic 741 transported her to the trauma center at Suburban Hospital with serious, but not life-threatening injuries.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service Battalion Chief 702 took command of the incident.

scue Squad 741 and Ambulance 726 were dispatched along with units from Rockville, Bethesda and  Cabin John at about 4:30 a.m. on Box 33-5 for a report of a house on fire in the vicinity of 10416 Gainsborough Road in south Rockville.  After searching the area, Rockville’s Engine 733 reported hefrom the front door of a single family dwelling at 8509 Scarboro Ct., which backed up to the Gainsborough Road address.  There was no report of anyone trapped in the house.

Return to "The Squad in Action"

When the Squad crew arrived, it was instructed to search the 2nd floor and ventilate as it proceeded.  The crew headed upstairs and encountered zero visibility and significant heat.  They began their search in the bedroom to the right of the stairs, taking out windows as they went.  Just as the crew completed the search of the first room, another unit reported finding a victim in the bedroom on the opposite (Bravo) side of the house.  The Squad crew  found their way to the victim and assisted in carrying him downstairs and out of the house. 

The victim was quickly moved to Ambulance 726, where resuscitation efforts were begun enroute to Suburban Hospital.  According to press reports, he was pronounced dead at the hospital.  Separately, a second resident of the house was found outside and transported by another ambulance.

While the interior crew was performing its assignment, RS 741’s driver controlled utilities from the outside of the house and began throwing ladders to the second story windows.  The smoke and heat coming from the windows was so intense that he was forced to don the facepiece of his SCBA in order to finish cleaning the glass out of the widows.  After completing this assignment, he met up with the interior crew as it was carrying the victim  

After completing removal of the patient, the crew continued with placing ladders, ventilating 2nd floor windows from outside, and controlling utilities.

Once engine companies from Rockville, Bethesda, and Cabin John arrived on scene and established a water supply, crews quickly knocked down the bulk of the fire on the first floor.  This enabled crews to complete a more thorough secondary search.