Firetruck Crashes On Slippery Road

[Lucky 13]

Courtesy of the Kalamzoo Gazette.

LAWTON -- The driver of a Lawton fire tanker that overturned Jan. 4, injuring another firefighter who was a passenger, was ticketed for driving too fast for conditions -- even though the two were responding to a fire.

Firefighter Dan Sanderson, 21, had surgery Jan. 5 at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo to mend his injured jaw after being ejected from the firetruck when the driver, firefighter Heath Hitchcock, 26, lost control of the vehicle on icy roads. Sanderson was not wearing a seat belt at the time.

Hitchcock, worked for the Lawton Fire Department for about three years, wasn't injured in the crash, police said, but was ticketed for driving too fast for conditions.

Full story here.

[fireball]

may the injured firefighter have a complete recovery.

remember:buckle up.

[jester1965]

You gotta drive with due regard for safety and the current road conditions, no matter what. Speeding toward a scene in inclimate weather and bad roads is an invitation for trouble. Everyone also needs to be wearing their seatbelts always, no exceptions. If your apparatus don't have em, either retro-fit them or put in for a grant for a new truck stating that yours is unsafe.

I feel bad this happened to these two guys, but they both should have known better.