Fire Truck Accident Apparently Caused by SUV Kills Two Firefighters in Rocky Mount, VA
By Randy Appleton, Truck Accident Lawyer in Virginia
An emergency response turned deadly for two members of the Rocky Mount, Virginia (VA), Fire Department on Monday, July 26, when, according to witnesses, their fire truck flipped and landed on a Ford Mustang after being clipped from behind by an SUV and striking a curb. The Ford Escape sports utility vehicle appears to have entered an intersection through which the fire truck was passing before the truck had cleared the area. No charges were filed in the immediate aftermath of the accident.
Only the firefighters lost their lives, but the SUV driver suffered injuries requiring hospital treatment.
The fire truck was loaded with at least 1,000 gallons of water, and that may have contributed to the roll over. Regardless, with all reports indicating that the fire truck had its siren and lights on while proceeding down Route 40, about 20 miles south of Roanoke, the other drivers on the road had to yield to the firefighters.
Firefighters — and police, EMTs and other emergency responders — put their lives on the line every day at accident scenes, fires and disaster sites. They accept that risk on our behalf. Arriving where their services are most needed should be the least of their worries. Unfortunately, as the tragedy in Rocky Mount shows, fire trucks, police cruisers and ambulances face the same hazards as all other cars and trucks. Sometimes those hazards are unsafe road conditions; other times, those hazards are other drivers.
My thoughts go out to the Rocky Mount firefighters, their families and their friends. I hope that all drivers who see the news of this tragedy take it as a lesson to share the road safely with emergency vehicles.
About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm which focuses on injury and accident law and our attorneys have experience handling truck accident cases. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our primary office in based in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA) although our lawyers hold licenses in NC, SC, WV, KY and DC. We are ready to talk to you by phone right now—we provide free initial confidential injury case consultations, so call us toll free at 1-800-752-0042. Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube . Furthermore, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard Eastern Shore Virginia Injury Attorneys Blog and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as pro bono services.
EJL
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July 28, 2010
Tags: accident, Appleton, car, crash, death, fire truck, Roanoke, Rocky Mount, rollover, SUV, truck crash Posted in: Virginia (VA) Trucking Injury/Accidents Topics
One Response
interesting post, good information.
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