BELFAST — The Jaws of Life were required to free the driver of a Dodge Caliber SUV involved in a two-vehicle crash on Head of Tide Road (Route 7) Sept. 29, according to Sergeant Daniel Fitzpatrick, of the Belfast Police Department.

The woman was traveling south and had started a left hand turn onto Route 137 when she was struck by an oncoming Ford F-150, owned by Lucas Tree Service.

After the impact, the SUV struck a curb before cartwheeling onto privately owned concrete barriers, ultimately landing against a residence and blocked in by the truck, which never left its wheels.

The driver of the truck and a passenger in the SUV were able to climb from the vehicles and were uninjured in the crash.

Due to the positions of the vehicles involved, the driver of the SUV was unable to exit the vehicle, requiring the Jaws of Life to be extracted. A process Fitzpatrick said took roughly 25 minutes to complete.

“We couldn’t actually rip any doors off because they were being held [closed] by either the truck or the house,” he said.

The driver, who was conscious and alert throughout her rescue, was transported to Waldo County General Hospital via ambulance for non life-threatening injuries.

The concrete barriers surrounding the residence involved, located on the corner of Shepherd Road and Route 137, were erected by the homeowner in an effort to protect the residence from car accidents.

With each barrier weighing 3,500 lbs, Fitzpatrick said they probably would have been effective if the SUV hadn’t first struck the curb.

The crash remains under investigation.

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com