Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1439168.015 - Town Of Owls Head

Inspection Information - Office: Maine Department Of Labor, Bureau Of Labor Standards, Workplace Safety & Health Division

Investigation Summary

On October 21, 2019, an employee working as a Fire Fighter for a City fire department was a passenger in a fire pumper/tanker truck responding to a mutual aid call. A coworker who is also a Fire Fighter was the driver/operator of the fire truck. A civilian operating a motor vehicle stopped in the northbound lane of a narrow roadway as the fire truck, which was loaded down with water, was approaching in the southbound lane. Once the fire truck passed the stopped vehicle, another fire truck (also a tanker) was coming from the scene of the structure fire (empty of water) around a slight bend in the road. When the driver of the second fire turck saw the stopped vehicle, he quickly applied the brakes. This action caused the rear drivers side of the fire apparatus to travel into the southbound lane and strike the front driver's side of the fire truck in which the employee was riding. The driver pulled the fire truck to the edge of the tarred road but the wheels went into the soft shoulder causing the truck to roll onto the passengers side in the ditch coming to rest against a large rock. The empty fire truck ended up in the ditch (upright) on the northbound side of the roadway blocking the lane of travel. The employee was taken to the hospital for treatment and evaluation and subsequently transferred by Life Flight to a trauma center due to partial paralysis on his right side. The employee was hospitalized over night with back and neck strains. The coworker was treated and released with minor injuries.

Keywords: Back, Collision, Driver, Fire, Fire Brigade/Department, Fire Fighter, Fire Truck, Motor Vehicle, Neck, Paralysis, Road, Roll-Over, Shoulder, Sprain, Strain, Tank Truck, Traffic Accident, Unstable Soil