KEY POINTS

  • The hands of a 54-year-old woman was crushed after she attempted to change her flat tire while driving on Interstate 95
  • Her hands were trapped between the tire and the fender
  • For 35 minutes, the woman attempted to call 911 using her toes
  • Emergency crews used a prybar and a hydraulic spreader to free her hands

In a desperate act to survive, a woman driver used her toes to call for help after her hands became trapped while changing a flat tire late Sunday.

The 54-year-old Charlotte resident was driving on Interstate 95 in South Carolina when her car had a flat tire. To not cause traffic or delay to other motorists, the woman pulled over in the breakdown lane along the highway, said CNN, citing a statement from the Colleton County Fire-Rescue.

Just as she was about to change her tire, disaster struck.

Ambulance
In this photo, an ambulance transporting a patient is reflected in the window of another ambulance at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, Oct. 9, 2008. David McNew/Getty Images

“She removed the flat tire and was replacing it with the spare, when the jack slipped causing the car to fall, crushing both of her hands between the tire and the fender,” the network added.

Despite being trapped alone and in extreme amount of pain, the woman didn't panic. Over the next 35 minutes – and several attempts thereafter – the woman was able to dial 911 with her toes.

Rescuers who responded to the scene had to use a prybar to free one of the woman's hand, while a fire engine who also rushed to save the driver used a hydraulic spreader to free her other hand, said CNN.

The woman was then rushed to a local hospital after suffering serious hand injuries caused by the accident, said WCSC, through Yahoo! News.

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