South Strabane Fire Apparatus Struck on I70 East

 At 8:26 PM on Saturday, April 29th, South Strabane Firefighters were dispatched for the report of a motor vehicle accident on I70 East involving an overturned camper and a pickup truck facing the opposite way in traffic. On-Duty career and volunteer firefighters responded immediately and confirmed the dispatch. The Officer in Charge (OIC) reported the incident to be located just after a blind bend with traffic passing them at a high rate of speed.

Truck 44, a 2013 Sutphen Aerial Tower responded shortly after the dispatch with three additional firefighters and positioned in a blocking pattern to provide early warning, slow traffic, and funnel traffic to a single lane to protect the crews working on the accident scene. Once Truck 44 was in place, the crew was unable to exit the vehicle due to the atrocious driving behaviors of approaching traffic.

While Truck 44 was in a blocking position with warning lights activated, on a roadway with a 55 MPH speed limit, it was struck by a passenger vehicle traveling well over the speed limit, with the crew still inside. Thankfully, there were no injuries to fire personnel, however the driver of the vehicle that caused the incident was transported to the hospital with injuries. Their vehicle was totaled, and Truck 44 sustained moderate damage to the driver side, affecting access to its compartments, safety components, and electrical system.

Additional information is contained in the Press Release below.