Police and CCFR rescue man pinned in a car

(Photo by Tripp J Crouse/KTOO)
(Photo by Tripp J Crouse/KTOO)

Juneau Police Department and Capital City Fire/Rescue rescued 48-year-old Juneau resident Lance McVay who was found pinned inside a vehicle Sunday morning.

Police wouldn’t release McVay’s name, but his family identified him in messages to KTOO.

McVay may have gone off the road, crashed into some trees on Saturday and spent the night in his car, Juneau police Sgt. Shawn Phelps said.

The accident was at the end of North Douglas Highway.

“This morning we had received a report from concerned family members stating that they were unable to locate a family member, he wasn’t responding to any phone calls,” Phelps said. “Later in the day, we received a notification from some hikers that they had heard a man yelling for help.”

Police found McVay pinned in a vehicle, unable to get out.

“We called for Capital City Fire and Rescue to respond and they assisted in extracting him from the vehicle and getting him transported for medical treatment,” Phelps said.

Capital City Fire/Rescue said in a Facebook post that the vehicle was 130 feet from the road.

CCFR had to remove the vehicle’s top to free McVay, and then responders put him in a litter and carried him out of “dense vegetation.”

According to a police news release, McVay said he was very cold and had been in the car all night.

Phelps said the vehicle was totaled.

He said he didn’t know the extent of McVay’s injuries, but believed he may have broken some bones. 

McVay was taken to Bartlett Regional Hospital. A spokeswoman for the hospital said he was in stable condition and would be medevaced to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. 

Phelps said police are still investigating what caused the accident, but he added that a responding officer thought medical issues might have contributed.

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