Emergency crews worked for hours to rescue a teenage passenger from a car pinned against a tree after a crash in which the young driver was killed.
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About 2.50am on Sunday, February 7, Batemans Bay Highway Patrol came across a Ford Falcon sedan that had crashed into a tree and was on fire north of Batemans Bay on the Princes Hwy, Benandarah.
Police extinguished the fire and saw a 17-year-old female passenger was inside. A short time later, officers located the body of the driver, a 16-year-old boy.
Firefighters arrived at the scene to see the car was on its side with the roof pinned against a tree.
"The tree had snapped at the base and was hung up on to another tree," Batemans Bay Fire and Rescue captain Paul Lyons said.
"We stabilised the car with winches."
He said the female suffered serious injuries to the lower half of her body. Paramedics worked to stabilise her from the chest up while firefighters focused on her safe removal from the crumpled vehicle.
"We cut and removed the passenger side door to gain access and see how much the tree had impacted on the passenger," Mr Lyons said.
"The roof was completely caved in."
Mr Lyons said the driver was out of sight: "We couldn't access the driver door."
He said a tree hanging over the car could have fallen during the rescue.
"We didn't know if it could fall or further crush the occupant," Mr Lyons said.
"It was quite a difficult extrication."
Once the passenger doors were removed and the female further assessed, firefighters were able to winch the car slowly away from the tree trunk.
"The woman was in and out of consciousness," Mr Lyons said.
The rescue took hours.
"It was a logistical challenge," Mr Lyons said.
About 5am, the female was removed from the car and flown to Canberra Hospital with serious injuries.
Crews turned the car back on to four wheels and a crime scene was established.
Mr Lyons thanked SES and RFS crews, Police and Ambulance.
"It was such a difficult extrication, without their assistance it would have been impossible," he said.
It was the second road fatality within a fortnight Batemans Bay Fire and Rescue crews had attended.
Mr Lyons said it was a timely reminder to "stay safe on the roads and drive to conditions".
Police are investigating the circumstances of the crash.
Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has dashcam footage are asked to contact Batemans Bay Police or Crime Stoppers.
