On November 13, 2010 a 23-year-old career fire fighter (Victim) was struck and killed by a car while at the scene of a grass fire along a four lane, east-west, interstate highway. The highway was divided by a grassy, and in places underbrush-covered, median. A passing motorist saw the fire burning in the median and reported it to 911 who notified the local fire department. An engine (E24), and a quint (E4), were dispatched to the scene. E24 arrived ahead of E4 and parked next to the median straddling the fog line and pulling into the passing lane to provide a protected work area for the fire fighters. E4 arrived one minute later and parked west of E24 pulling toward the guardrail to provide a traffic block. At the same time, a car and a van were travelling eastbound toward the parked fire apparatus. Both vehicles were in the passing lane when the van hit the back of the car. Following the collision, the van drove on the shoulder of the passing lane and stopped before reaching E4. The car travelled onto the left shoulder of the highway passing between both apparatus and the guardrail before striking the two fire fighters. The injured fire fighter was thrown into the median by the impact and suffered critical injuries but survived. The victim landed on the road shoulder. Fire fighters who were on the scene initiated patient care measures immediately. The victim was transported to a local trauma center and despite resuscitative efforts, he was pronounced dead.
Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report: One Career Fire Fighter Killed, Another Seriously Injured When Struck By a Vehicle While Working at a Grass Fire Along an Interstate Highway in South Carolina
2012
27 pages
Report
No indication
English
Public Health & Industrial Medicine , Industrial Safety Engineering , Transportation & Traffic Planning , Fire Services, Law Enforcement, & Criminal Justice , Transportation , Fire fighters , First responders , Accident investigations , Fatalities , Motor vehicles , South Carolina , Interstate highways , Roadside hazards , Grass fires