PHOTO BY BRUCE GARNER Captain Phillip Hyman with Squad 1 instructs other firefighters as they work to stabilize the overturned SUV. View FireRescue1 Slideshow

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A one vehicle wreck on Amnicola Highway stopped traffic in the southbound lanes for more than an hour this morning. Shortly before 11:00 a.m., the driver of an Isuzu Rodeo left a nursing school class at Chattanooga State to attend a baby shower. While heading toward town in the 2600 block of Amnicola Highway, the driver lost control of her vehicle, which left the road and overturned in a ditch. The driver — whose identity is not known at this time — told firefighters that some balloons she was transporting to the baby shower blocked her field of vision. By the time she got the balloons out of her face, she realized she was veering off the road. She said she over-corrected the steering and flipped the SUV over. She could not get out of the vehicle on her own.

Chattanooga firefighters Squad 1 just happened to be at the Fire Training Center just a couple of blocks away when they learned of the wreck and rushed to the scene. Additional firefighters from Quint 10 and Squad 2 also responded to the scene. Together they stabilized the vehicle with wooden braces and a tow line from Squad 2 (see attached photos).

The firefighters and paramedics with Hamilton County EMS pulled the woman out the SUV, put her on a stretcher and transported her to Erlanger Medical Center. The paramedics said the woman was shaken up, but her injuries did not appear to be life-threatening. At the time of this release, the victim's condition was still being assessed at Erlanger, which is also where she works. Chattanooga police will make a final determination on the cause of the wreck.