Florida: Crash into fire truck shows why Move Over law is important
It was a close call for rescue workers in Osceola County as a semi-truck smashed into a fire truck on the side of Florida's Turnpike while first responders were trying to rescue a trapped driver in an earlier rollover crash Saturday evening.
Dashcam video from a responding Osceola County deputy's cruiser showed the semi coming to a stop very close to another emergency vehicle, sending first responders running for safety. Debris from the crash can be seen flying toward and passing in between several responders on the side of the road.
"They were running. This is our biggest fear when we're at a crash scene," said Sgt. Kim Montes, with the Florida Highway Patrol.
Osceola County Fire Chief Robert Sorenson called the incident "scary," but added first responders train for this type of situation.
Traffic cones were placed on the side of the Turnpike, tapering traffic away from the rescue efforts, and emergency lights were activated at the time of the crash.
Sorenson said fire crews are trained to park the fire truck at an angle, guarding emergency crews while they work.
In this case, no one was in the fire truck, but it could have been much worse.
"It could have taken some rescuers and responders away from that original vehicle, but thank goodness, nobody got hurt," Sorenson said.
While the semi crashed into the fire truck, emergency crews were already working to rescue a trapped driver in a rollover crash on the side of the Turnpike. Investigators said the driver's injuries in the earlier crash were not life-threatening.
Related Links
Links provided with these articles were active and accurate as of the posting of the article to ResponderSafety.com. However, web sites change and the organization hosting the page at the link may have moved or removed it since this article was posted. Therefore, some links may no longer be active.