Firefighters Tear Truck Apart To Save Child

MIAMI TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- Hamilton County firefighters spent more than an hour tearing a damaged pickup apart to get at a boy trapped inside.

Police said Robert Balsley, 60, of Whitewater Township, lost control of his pickup around 10:45 a.m. and ran off the roadway in the 10200 block of Miamiview Road.

The pickup struck a utility pole, and Balsley’s grandson, 9-year-old Tanner Bergman, of Cleves, became trapped inside the pickup’s cab.

Firefighters removed the roof, then opened the pickup on one side to pivot the entire engine compartment away from the rest of the truck.

More work removed the dashboard and other parts blocking firefighters' path.

The boy was airlifted just before noon to Children's Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition with unspecified injuries.

Balsley was not injured in the crash, and police said neither the driver nor his passenger were wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, which remains under investigation.