A driver of a small SUV was injured after a single vehicle crash Monday afternoon in Porter County.

Liberty Township Volunteer Fire Department (LTVFD) says the crash happened just before 5 p.m. when the SUV left the roadway traveling South on County Road 100 East between 1050 North and Old State Road 49. The SUV was traveling southbound and for unknown reasons, left the roadway, striking a large tree stump and positioning itself on a 45-degree angle in the ditch.

First arriving units found multiple air bags deployed and the driver trapped inside breathing, but unconscious. The driver was trapped between the steering wheel and driver seat which somehow managed to slide forward pinning the driver even further, LTVFD said.

“While the driver was being stabilized inside the vehicle, firefighters performed careful extrication work on removing the driver door and the patient out of the vehicle,” LTVFD said.

The patient was soon conscious again and transported to an area hospital where Med Flight intercepted the pickup to then be transported to South Bend.