Report Number: 05-0000190
Report Date: 05/27/2005
Event Description
An off-duty fire chief was in his assigned vehicle; a full-sized, late model SUV. The chief and his adult daughter, the front seat passenger, were wearing seatbelts and shoulder harnesses. The weather was clear and dry. They were coming out of a side street, with a green light, onto a major, six-lane artery, turning left. A fully loaded dump truck busted the red light and struck the chief's vehicle on the driver's side front quarter panel, spinning the SUV several times and throwing it partially up on a sidewalk and lawn nearly 60' from the initial impact. The dump truck continued approximately 300' down the road until it came to rest on a soft shoulder.
The fire chief was trapped in his vehicle for nearly 30 minutes and required a rescue squad to extricate him. He was transportaed to a Level 1 Trauma Center with serious, but not life-threatening injuries. He spent about 6 days in ICU with head and shoulder injuries. His daughter was evaluated for neck and back injuries and was treated and released. The dump truck driver was transported to the hospital with minor neck and back injuries, and was subsequently arrested for possession of controlled, dangerous substances, driving under the influence and several other charges.
Lesson Learned
Whether driving emergency or routine, constant attention must be maintained to "what might go wrong". Had the chief looked left-right-left before starting into the intersection, this near-tragedy could have been avoided completely.
To view the whole report