It took members of the Greeneville Emergency & Rescue Squad about 45 minutes early Saturday to free a man trapped inside a pickup truck that slammed into a tree on Anest Road, Rescue Squad member Kevin Ayers said.

The man, believed to be in his late 50s or early 60s, was airlifted by Wings Air Rescue to an area hospital. His identity was not available this morning.

A Sheriff's Department report on the crash is pending.

Ayers said the wreck happened at about 1:45 a.m. Saturday when the Ford Ranger pickup crashed into the tree on Anest Road, near Greystone Road.

"It was difficult where he hit with the tree. He had a lot of impact with the driver's side door area," Ayers said. "The steering column broke and it turned out the driver's side window and the dash pushed out on him."

The driver's feet became entangled in the foot pedals, making the rescue more challenging, Ayers said.

"The door was pushed in against him also," he said. "He had a pretty good lick into the tree."

As Rescue Squad members worked to free the victim from the truck, members of the Camp Creek Volunteer Fire Department set up a landing zone for the Wings helicopter, Ayers said.

The crash victim never lost consciousness and was able to speak with Rescue Squad members as they worked to free him from the truck wreckage, Ayers said.

During the extrication, Greene County-Greeneville Emergency Medical Services worked on the man "to check his injuries," Ayers said.

The Rescue Squad had to remove the top of the truck and the driver's side door with hydraulic tools and "had to cut part of the dash away and push it forward to remove the patient," Ayers said.

Rescue Squad members are all volunteers, Ayers said.