A Yuma driver involved in a traffic accident in Yuma was impaled by a pipe.

According to the Yuma Fire Department , the accident occurred at about 7:10 a.m. Monday on County 12th Street at Avenue 5-1/2E. Initial reports were that the driver was injured and trapped in the vehicle. Yuma Fire personnel found that the car was on the north side of the road in a construction area. A 4-inch steel pipe had pierced the entire vehicle from the drivers door through the passenger compartment and out the rear passenger door. The pipe , protruding out both sides of the vehicle , had impaled and pinned the driver in the car.

Emergency personnel worked with an on-site construction crew to stabilize the pipe while paramedics provided patient care. Other YFD personnel used saws and other tools to disassemble the car around the driver. The pipe was then cut on either side of the driver who was than able to be removed from the vehicle. The driver was conscious and able to communicate with rescue workers. The driver was transported by helicopter , with the imbedded section of pipe , to a Phoenix trauma center. The entire process took approximately 90 minutes. The accident remains under investigation by the Yuma Police Department