PCW Boards - The Free Voice of Pulaski County Missouri

This car received extensive damage after smashing into the rear end of a Waynesville fire engine.
 
Trooper says fire truck placement likely saved his life in wreck on I-44
PULASKI COUNTY, Mo. (Oct. 29, 2009) — Rain-slicked roads on Thursday sent numerous cars into minor crashes, and also contributed to a wreck involving a Waynesville fire truck with two serious injuries that officers say could easily have become fatalities. Troopers responded about 9:34 a.m. to a crash blocking the left lane of eastbound Interstate 44 at mile marker 157, about a mile east of the Waynesville exit. That crash turned out to be a non-injury wreck but firefighters and medical personnel didn’t know that at the time, so Waynesville firefighters sent Engine 1952, a rescue truck, and six firefighters to the crash scene to assist medical and tow company personnel. Missouri Department of Transportation personnel reported the roadway had been cleared by 10:07 a.m. and emergency personnel prepared to leave the crash scene, but rapidly ran into problems. “We were on the scene getting ready to merge into traffic and then I checked my mirrors and saw a Ford LTD coming up very quickly,” said Firefighter Tanner Hunt. “I didn’t see them slow down at all. I told my guys, ‘Oh, shit, hold on!’” According to Missouri State Highway Patrol reports, Hunt, 24, had his engine struck in the rear by what was actually a 1986 Ford Crown Victoria. Driven by Jason W. Foalden, 31, of Springfield, the car sustained extensive damage when it struck the 1999 model fire truck. None of the firefighters on board were injured, but Foalden and his passenger, Malorie L. Thomas, 23, also of Springfield, both suffered serious injuries. Stallcup said the incident is a good example of how difficult driving conditions can quickly become dangerous or even deadly with a moment’s lack of attention. “I basically felt that fire truck saved my life and that of the passerby who stopped to help,” Stallcup said. “It was apparent to me that (the driver) basically was inattentive. It’s a huge fire truck with lights, and he may have been travelling too fast, too.” In other business, state troopers arrested Kyle M. Brandt, 24, of Temple, Texas, at 12:41 a.m. Thursday on charges including drunk driving. Click here to read more on Pulaski County Daily News ...

By Darrell Todd Maurina