RESCUERS used the hydraulic cutting equipment to cut a woman free from the wreckage of a car that crashed into a tree at Upper Beaconsfield on Saturday.
The crash happened shortly before 1pm on the BeaconsfieldEmerald Road, near the intersection of Quamby Road.
Emergency crews from the Pakenham Road Rescue Unit — incorporating Pakenham SES and Nar Nar Goon CFA — police, ambulance and CFA arrived at the scene to find the car’s female driver trapped inside.
Pakenham SES spokesman Stephen Monro said rescue crews used low pressure airbags to stabilise the vehicle, a Ford Falcon sedan.
“Once access was gained, crews worked feverishly to release the occupant from the vehicle using specialist rescue equipment,” Mr Monro said.
Heavy rain fell during the rescue operation which saw the woman trapped for about an hour before she was freed. She was later airlifted to hospital. A passenger was transported by ambulance to Dandenong hospital.
The incident was one of several callouts for emergency service crews during wet and stormy weather over the weekend.