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Busy weekend for first responders
Two airlifted in separate trauma incidents
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Dawson County Emergency Services personnel stayed busy over the weekend with a number of serious injury calls and several brush fires.

 

A 55-year-old Dawson County woman was seriously injured about 11 a.m. Friday morning when she fell from a ladder at the 800 block of North Georgia Premium Outlets.

 

Dawson County Emergency Services Battalion Chief Milton Keller said the woman, whose name was not released, fell 5 to 6 feet and suffered a severe compound ankle fracture.

 

“Our personnel called for Life Flight when they realized her injury was almost to the point of amputation,” he said.

 

She was airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta for immediate surgery.

 

A Jefferson man was also airlifted Saturday afternoon after a single-vehicle wreck on Hwy. 136 West, near New Hope Church Road.

 

The man, who was not identified, was taken to Erlanger Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries after the Mitsubishi Eclipse he was driving left the road and rolled several times, said Emergency Services Capt. Jeff Bailey.

 

“He had obvious head trauma and suspected internal injuries,” he said.

 

A witness who called in the wreck reported the car traveling at a high rate of speed, according to sheriff’s reports.

 

Bailey said the driver did not appear to be wearing a seat belt.

 

“He was not ejected, but he was thrown from the front of the car to the trunk area,” Bailey said

 

As of Monday morning, the driver remained hospitalized but was listed in stable condition, according to authorities.

 

Responders also fielded several brush fire calls throughout the weekend.

 

Billy Thurmond, director of emergency services, said the weekend’s nice weather played a role in the fires.

 

“It was nice outside so we had a lot of people burning brush they’ve collected over the winter. Some of the fires just seemed to get out of hand,” he said.

 

Emergency Services Chief Lanier Swafford encouraged the public to use extreme caution when performing outdoor burning with “the continuous dry weather and low humidity.

 

“Close attention should be given to changing weather conditions and always obtain a burn permit from Georgia Forestry,” he said.

 

 

DCN regional staff contributed to this report.