Showing posts with label roll-over. Show all posts
Showing posts with label roll-over. Show all posts

Monday, February 13, 2012

From the Secret List: Water Tender involved in single vehicle LODD

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All,
The Firefighter who died in the Line of Duty early this morning in a crash on the way to a fire, has been identified.
21-year-old Gore Volunteer Fire & Rescue (Frederick County) FF Zachary Whitacre died after being taken to Winchester Medical Center. Chief Dennis Linaburg says a tanker that hauls two people, was involved in that single vehicle accident.

Whitacre had been a firefighter with Gore Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department for about a year.

The crash happened on Route 50 West just over the West Virginia line as the pair was heading to Capon Bridge to pick up water before responding to a reported structure fire in Hampshire County.

Making this horrible Line of Duty Death even more tragic is that the driver of the tanker was Donald Whitacre, Zachary's father. He was taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

The Gore Fire & Rescue station has been placed out of service and is being staffed by firefighters from Winchester.

Chief Linaburg understandably described it as one of the saddest moments in Frederick County's history. Our heartfelt condolences to the Whitacre Family, The Gore VFRC, Frederick County Fire Rescue and all those affected. RIP.


UPDATE FROM ALEXANDRIA VA FD
The Alexandria Fire Department is continuing to make preparations for memorial events scheduled this week to honor AFD Paramedic Joshua Weissman, who fell from the roadway and died from his injuries last week during an emergency response to a car fire on I-395.
All information related to the memorial service events is posted online athttp://alexandriava.gov/LODDJWeissman. If you or your group plans to attend the visitation, funeral, or repast scheduled onFebruary 15-16, please fill out an online form to RSVP for these events as soon as possible. Fire or police department groups planning to bring apparatus, equipment, or color guard units should provide their contact information on this form. Honor guard units are not needed at this time.All participants are urged to carpool and use public transit to attend memorial events. Parking will be extremely limited and road closures or traffic delays will make it difficult for participants to arrive at events. By Tuesday, February 14, the City will post locations online where public parking is available, and provide a shuttle service schedule for groups that are parking at designated locations off-site.If you need assistance filling out the form, have questions, or require additional information, please call 703.746.HELP (4357).  Take Care-BE CAREFUL
Billy G
The Secret List 2-13-12 / 1341 hours
www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com

Sunday, May 17, 2009

California: North Tree Fire Water Tender rollover

CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS: North Tree Fire Water Tender rollover

North Tree Fire water tenderNorth Tree Fire water tender

NTI WATER TENDER ROLLOVER CRASH:

A North Tree Fire water tender was involved in a rollover crash on I-5 and Lambert Road in South Sacramento County while returning from the Jesusita fire in Santa Barbara County.

The North Tree Water Tender rolled several times down an embankment at the over crossing coming to rest on his wheels.

The driver was the only occupant and he was able to self-extricate prior to the FD arrival. A Strike Team of Type 3's from AEU came up on the incident and assisted local responders in getting the driver up the embankment and securing the scene.

The operator suffered moderate injuries, He is at Sacramento Medical Center.
The water tender is a total loss.

First lesson learned: Driver was wearing a seat belt and survived....

Sources: firefighterclosecalls.com - Link
Wildlandfire.com Hotlist- Link

Photo credit: Capt Jim
Photo credit: Capt Jim"

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Water truck fatality: Not drugs just no seatbelt

Sedative didn’t cause man’s death - Not using a seatbelt the likely reason truck driver died, fatality inquiry determines

DAMIEN WOOD - Herald-Tribune staff

In the written findings of Michael Berggren’s fatality inquiry, Judge J. R. McIntosh concluded the death was not the result of a sedative found in the truck driver’s system at the time of death in a highway accident, stating it was purely the lack of a seatbelt.

The in-court proceedings occurred late last July in a Fairview courtroom.

The result of those proceedings was released to the public Wednesday.

It was the morning of Dec. 26, 2006, when 55-year-old Berggren was called in to work for what would be his last run at Ponto Water Hauling – his place of employment for the two years.

Berggren did not work the day before and got off early the day before that.

He has been reported by those who encountered him over this stretch to have seemed in good health and good spirits.

Nothing seemed wrong at all in the minds of common-law spouse Anna Tina Miller, his employer or his co-workers.

But at approximately 10:15 a.m. Dec. 26 – just a half hour after leaving on his run to an oil rig near Worsley – Berggren was involved in a single-vehicle rollover on Highway 64, approximately 10 kilometres north of Hines Creek.

He was not wearing a seatbelt at the time and was ejected from the vehicle, which rolled over him and crushed his chest.

The scene responded to by authorities and emergency services was that of a water truck on its side and its driver some 20 feet away, lying in the middle of the road.

Not using a seatbelt is considered an oddity in behaviour for Berggren.

His spouse, employer and co-workers said Berggren habitually wore his seatbelt.

McIntosh stated in his concluding report that Berggren would have, in all likelihood, survived the rollover had he been wearing a seatbelt when the accident occurred.

Found to be in Berggren’s system at the time of the accident was 55 micrograms per litre of blood of a potent sedative of the benzodiazepine family – Estazolam – which was attributed to a natural health product called Serenity Pills II Berggren was talking to aid in sleeping.

The pills contained an amount of the sedative.

Estazolam was once marketed legally, but is now classified as a Schedule IV substance not legally available anywhere in North America.

Berggren had been using the product for about three months before the accident.

It is believed he took one before going to bed the night prior. Expert testimony stated it could have caused sedation and impaired his judgment while driving.

McIntosh concluded, however, there are too many variables in this incident to claim the sedative in Berggren’s system at the time of the accident was a contributing factor.

He went on to state it was not a contributing factor to the accident, or to the death.

Counsel at the fatality inquiry had requested McIntosh use his concluding report to educate the public with respect to Health Canada’s role in registration of natural health products.

Health Canada has been notified of the presence of Estazolam in Serenity Pills II, but McIntosh declined to use his findings and recommendations to any further effect.

Source: dailyheraldtribune.com - Link