Updated 2:23 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9 to correct town in which accident occurred.

By CRAIG FREILICH

HERMON -- It took three hours to extract an injured Russell man and fly him off for treatment after his pickup truck struck a tree off a secondary road Thursday, according to state police.

County Rt. 17 in Hermon was closed for those three hours while personnel from the Hermon, Richville and DeKalb fire departments and Canton Fire and Rescue worked to free Daniel Wolff, 36, from the heavily damaged vehicle.

“The whole front end of the truck was sitting in his lap,” said State Police Sgt. Gary Mattimore, who was at the scene.

It took so long to get him out that a surgical team from Canton-Potsdam Hospital was sent to the scene to attend to him at the scene if necessary, hospital officials confirmed.

Wolff was driving his rural mail delivery vehicle when his truck, which had been traveling northwest, went off the left side of the road and down an embankment and struck a tree hard enough that the front end of the truck had pinned Wolff in his seat, police said.

Emergency personnel used the Jaws of Life and other equipment, but the extensive damage from the crash made it a difficult job.

Once he was extracted, the team and emergency personnel stabilized Wolff well enough to fly him out. Authorities said the injuries were not life-threatening. The destination of the LifeNet helicopter that took him away was not known.

Once the emergency apparatus was cleared from the road, it was re-opened.