Firefighters have to work at extricating man hurt in crash

Firefighters cut off the doors and peeled back the roof of an SUV to rescue a man stuck inside after a crash Tuesday in Costa Mesa

Around 7:30 a.m., a Toyota Tacoma truck traveling south on Newport Boulevard broadsided a Honda Pilot SUV at Wilson Street, according to police.

Crews responded and found the driver of the Honda pinned in the front seat.

Firefighters called out a specialized urban search-and-rescue vehicle and pulled the man out within half an hour, said Battalion Chief Kevin Diamond.

An ambulance took the Honda’s driver to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana for treatment of neck and back pain.

The injuries probably weren’t life threatening, according to the Fire Department.

“He was awake and talking,” Diamond said.

The second driver suffered some chest pain but didn’t need to be taken to the hospital, police said. Neither car carried passengers.

Police, who had not arrested or cited either driver, are investigating the cause of the crash.

— Jeremiah Dobruck

Twitter: @jeremiahdobruck