LOWER MERION, Pa., (CBS) — Crews freed a man from an entrapment early Tuesday morning after his car crashed down an embankment and into a creek in Montgomery County.

Police received calls about the accident around 4:25 a.m. at Mill Creek Road and Grays Lane in Lower Merion.

A Lower Merion Officer spotted the car sitting in the creek bed and called for help.

Authorities say they believe the accident occurred between 7 and 8 p.m. Monday night, which means he was trapped in his car for at least 9 hours.

“The car was mangled. I was actually surprised he was alive to be honest with you,” said Narberth paramedic Jonathan Serbin.

“At that point we knew we just had to get him out and there probably wasn’t going to be an easy way to do it,” said Serbin.

The scene flooded with more than 50 first responders.

“Give him first aid, stabilize the car, cut the roof and the doors off to get to the individual, once we did that rescue companies had to get the dashboard unrolled off of him,” said Chief Tom Hayden, Merion Fire Company of Ardmore.

After an hour of cutting out the victim, scaling the creek bed and safely working around all the debris, he was free.

Police say he was six to eight feet below ground level and in a foot of water.

The driver was conscious and alert but crews had difficulty freeing his feet and legs from under the dashboard.

No word on the driver’s condition.