A 42-year-old Southampton man was yesterday removed from a van using the 'jaws of life' after his vehicle and a MarketPlace truck collided on Langton Hill in Pembroke.

The man suffered from a dislocated hip and was taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for treatment. At last check yesterday evening he was in the operating room and expected to be moved to a general ward.

According to an eyewitness, the man's lower body was trapped against the dashboard of the van and the van's left side was smashed against a wall.

The witness said: "There were two to three of us trying to drag him out but we couldn't. One person tried to get in the (van) but the door wouldn't open. They managed to get in through the window to undo his seat belt."

"He was obviously in a lot of pain and drifting in and out of consciousness," the witness added.

The incident, which happened at 9.45 a.m. yesterday was attended by Police, ambulance personnel and the Bermuda Fire & Rescue Service who sent two vehicles and six fire fighters to the scene.

The fire service used hydraulic rescue tools to remove the man from the wreckage, including 'jaws of life', very large scissors known as cutters and 'the ram' often used to push a dashboard away from a trapped person.

According to Divisional Officer Dana Lovell who spoke with ZBM news last night, it took Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service approximately 45-minutes to roll the dashboard forward and free the victim and almost half of the front of vehicle was removed.

A Police spokesperson added: "At 9:45 a.m. today (Wednesday), Police attended a reported road traffic collision resulting in injury on Langton Hill in Pembroke involving a van and a truck."

"It appears the van was travelling north on Langton Hill and the truck was travelling in the opposite direction when the vehicles collided."

"The driver of the van, a 42 -year-old Southampton man, reportedly suffered a dislocated hip. He had to be extracted from his vehicle by Fire & Rescue Service personnel using specialised equipment and was taken to KEMH via ambulance for treatment.

"The driver of the truck, a 41-year -old Hamilton Parish man, was not injured. The van was extensively damaged while the truck received extensive front end damage," said the spokesperson.