by DOUG AUER
Three vehicles flipped over last night in a series of separate accidents on Staten Island, all occurring within a four-hour timespan.
Remarkably, none of the drivers were seriously hurt.
At 6:45 p.m., an SUV flipped over in Sunnyside after being broadsided by a car, and firefighters had to cut off the roof in order to free the trapped driver.
The sole occupant -- a woman whose name was not released by authorities -- was taken to St. Vincent's Hospital, West Brighton, where she was listed in stable condition.
According to police, a white 2004 Ford Explorer was traveling on Tioga Street toward Grymes Hill when it was hit on the passenger side by a red 1995 Volkswagen Golf driving on Cayuga Avenue toward Clove Lakes Park.
The Volkswagen possibly passed through a stop sign at Cayuga's intersection with Tioga, according to police and witnesses.
The impact flipped the SUV onto its driver side and spun it around in the opposite direction.
The Volkswagen sustained extensive damage to its front end and its airbags were deployed.
Responding firefighters from Ladder Co. 77, Engine Co. 160 and Rescue Co. 5 used multiple Hurst tools to extricate the woman, who was lying motionless in the car, her head resting against the shattered window.
While one crew of firefighters cut through the passenger side posts to sever the roof, another group cut out the windshield.
Also assisting in the rescue were police officers from Emergency Service Unit Truck 5.
As the woman was removed to a waiting ambulance, she assured family members she was OK and asked them to remove her personal belongings from the Ford.
The two occupants of the Volkswagen refused medical attention, according to FDNY Battalion Chief Pete Andersen of the 21st Battalion.
They, along with a number of residents, watched the rescue from surrounding sidewalks.
Later in the evening, at about 9 p.m., a pickup truck traveling northbound on the West Shore Expressway near Bloomfield landed on its roof, crashing down upon the center guardrail, police said.
The driver -- whose name was not released by authorities -- was able to free himself and could be seen wandering around the accident scene picking through debris looking for his scattered tools.
Traffic was backed up for a mile in both directions as Emergency Service Unit police officers closed the lanes closest to the center divide and worked to remove the mangled pickup.
The expressway was fully reopened by 10 p.m.
Lastly, at 10:21 p.m., a white Jeep Grand Cherokee traveling Brooklyn-bound on the Staten Island Expressway somersaulted onto its roof just before the Slosson Avenue exit.
The driver -- whose name was not released by authorities -- was taken to Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, where he was listed in stable condition. His dog, decked out in a tiny argyle sweater, was cared for by police.
Emergency Service Unit police officers righted the Jeep as firefighters from Engine Co. 163 washed down the debris. Also responding was Ladder Co. 83.
The accident blocked two lanes of the expressway, which was reopened at 10:45 p.m.
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