--- Begin Message ---
- From: "Randall W. Ruble" <randallruble@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Randall W. Ruble" <randallruble@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 2 Jun 2004 19:21:14 -0500
-----Original Message-----
From: BillyG [mailto:thesecretlist@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2004 3:51 PM
To: ranruble@xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: 7 FF's Injured (The Secret list)
Hey...
7 Firefighters were struck on Memorial Day when a lunatic civilian rammed
his vehicle into firefighters operating at a scene in Alabama.
Take Care-BE CAREFUL and PROTECT the scene.
BillyG
The Secret List 6-1-04
FirefighterCloseCalls.com
Man rams pickup into fire vehicles; 7 firefighters injured
By Mike Goens
State troopers are still trying to determine why a Killen man turned his car
around and rammed into emergency vehicles that were trying to clear storm
debris from U.S. 72 on Monday morning. Seven members of the Elgin Volunteer
Fire Department were injured and taken to Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital
shortly after the 2:18 a.m. crash.
Most of them were not seriously injured, although some reported broken
bones. One firefighter who was thrown several feet during impact was still
reporting numbness, according to Elgin Fire Chief Kenny Wright.
"The good Lord was watching over us last night," Wright said. "Things could
have turned out much, much different.
"You just never know what might happen when you go out like that. When you
expect something, you can pretty well handle that. But no one saw this
coming. It scared us all to death." The driver of the vehicle that slammed
into the fire department vehicles, 42-year-old Ernest W. Trousdale, suffered
a head injury and was also taken to ECM Hospital, according to state
troopers. A hospital spokeswoman said Monday that no information was
available regarding Trousdale.
Troopers are investigating the accident and are expected to file charges,
according to an emergency worker. The charges could range from reckless
driving to attempted murder, authorities said.
Travis Clemmons, Lauderdale County Sheriff's chief investigator, was on the
scene when the crash occurred. He and troopers were directing traffic as
firefighters were cutting trees away from the eastbound lanes on U.S. 72,
just west of the entrance to Joe Wheeler State Park. Clemmons said the trees
and other debris had both eastbound lanes closed, and the volunteers from
Elgin had been dispatched to help clear the highway. "They were able to get
one lane opened enough to allow traffic to pass," he said. "Witnesses said
the man drove by the site and pulled to a stop 200 or 300 yards further down
the road. "They said that all of a sudden, he squealed the tires and started
backing up wide open. He never slowed up and hit one of the firefighter's
personal vehicle, then spun around and hit the fire truck. "It's just hard
to believe someone wasn't killed. It's just a stroke of luck that they all
survived because there were people all over the place down there." Wright
said it's hard to believe that a truck could go as fast as Trousdale's
vehicle was traveling by driving in reverse. He said he believes Trousdale
"turned around his vehicle and floored it."
Family members told authorities and other emergency workers at the scene
that Trousdale has a history of mental problems. Wright said later that the
Elgin fire department had previously been called to his house in Killen to
assist family members, but he did not elaborate. Emergency workers do not
believe alcohol was involved.
Wright said a tire on the service truck began to lose air, so the crew
pulled the vehicle to the side of the road and began changing the tire. He
said two members of his crew were actually under the vehicle at the time of
impact. "Fortunately, the collision with the other vehicle caused him to
miss hitting our service truck square," Wright said. "The passenger door on
his (1994 Ford F-150) truck hit our fire truck." The department's service
truck, which had logged about 10,000 miles, was a complete loss, Wright
said. Injured during the crash were Kenneth Kelso, Carson Zells, Mike White,
Troy Brown, Curt Butler, Joel Glover and Wayne Davis. A hospital spokeswoman
said about 3 p.m. that White and Butler were treated and released, and that
Kelso was still in the emergency room but expected to be released later
Monday. Zells was listed in fair condition in the emergency room and Brown
was admitted in good condition. She did not have information on White or
Glover.
David Hurst, a firefighter with the Center Star Volunteer Fire Department,
was injured Monday while cutting a tree from another roadside in east
Lauderdale County, according to Lauderdale County Emergency Management
Agency Director George Grabryan. His injuries were not believed to be life
threatening.
-----
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