A Captain Dies and Two Fire Fighters Are Injured in a Motor-Vehicle Crash – Texas

Details

• Personal Author:
  Washenitz, Frank C. II ; Romano, Nancy T.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP)
• Description:
  Death in the Line of Duty…a Summary of a NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation
  
  On October 5, 1999, a Captain (the victim), the driver, and a fire fighter from Engine 33 responded to a medical call that had been dispatched as a patient with shortness of breath. Traveling north, Engine 33 approached a four-way intersection that was crossed on the north side by an overpass supported by concrete columns and controlled by electronic traffic lights. The traffic signal was red for the engine's direction of travel, so the driver initially reduced the engine's speed, and then checking that traffic had cleared, increased the engine's speed and began traveling through the intersection. At the same time, a civilian operating an automobile traveled through the intersection into the engine's path. The driver of the engine was unable to avoid the automobile, and the two vehicles collided. The driver lost control of the engine which then struck one of the concrete columns supporting the overpass. The engine struck the column on the driver's side, and the victim was ejected through the windshield, landing in a lane for oncoming traffic. The engine continued past the column and came to a stop in the same lane next to the victim. The driver was knocked unconscious, and the fire fighter riding in the rear crew compartment received minor injuries. The victim was flown by life flight helicopter to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. The two injured fire fighters were transported by ambulance to the hospital, where the driver was admitted in critical condition, and the fire fighter was treated for his injuries and released. The civilian driver of the automobile was not injured. NIOSH investigators concluded that, to minimize the risk of similar incidents, fire departments should: Ensure that drivers of emergency fire apparatus adequately reduce their speed to maintain vehicle control and proceed with caution through intersections ensure that all fire fighters who ride in emergency fire apparatus are wearing and belted securely by seat belts. Follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) for safely driving fire department vehicles during emergency response. Ensure that all equipment within the fire apparatus driving and crew compartments is properly mounted or stowed.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Firefighters Fires Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Safety
• Keywords:
  Driver-training Fire-fighters Fire-fighting-equipment Fire-fighting-procedures OSHA Region 6 Personal-protective-equipment
• FACE - Firefighter:
  Cause of Death: Trauma ; Motor Vehicle: Emergency Vehicle
• Series:
  Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP)
• Subseries:
  Death in the Line of Duty Report
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHFFFACE99F36
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study ; Report
• Place as Subject:
  Texas ; OSHA Region 6
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSR - Division of Safety Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20000395
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2000-105125
• Citation:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 99-F36, 2000 Mar ; :1-8
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2000
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  92 - Public Administration - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  1999/10/05
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e2b64da63f2befdf836d1e3add3f79a14681091367be3cc7dbc7d564f0a9256d2563cd5cfbf58657fbcd65d1792fe569971158feaeb3be343af36498a797335c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/163955/cdc_163955_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 497.05 KB ]