Hayfork's fire engine in wreck while en route to new home
HAYFORK -- A brand-new fire engine had traveled almost 2,000 miles and was only about 40 miles from its new home in Hayfork on Tuesday morning when it was hit head-on in the slushy snow.
The shiny red engine would have been the town's first new rig in 40 years. Although the engine had to be towed away from the wreck, it's unclear whether it can be repaired or if a new one will need to be ordered, said David Loeffler, chief of the Hayfork Fire Protection District. Either way, he said the district plans to end up with a functioning, new pumper engine."I'm still holding the check," he said.
The check is for $295,000.
The truck, which was being delivered from Lyons, S.D., was hit by a sport utility vehicle Tuesday morning on Highway 299 near Crystal Creek Road.
Jerry Siemonsma, 63, of Hartford, S.D., was driving the 2008 Rosenbauer fire engine west at 8:25 a.m. when Sherie Dabney, 32, of Redding lost control of her eastbound SUV and slid into the path of the truck, said Ken Tidwell of the California Highway Patrol. Both vehicles were going about 20 mph and collided head-on.
Siemonsma was not injured in the wreck, and Dabney was taken to Mercy Medical Center in Redding with moderate injuries, Tidwell said. He said the highway was slippery from rain and snow at the time of the wreck.
A grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is covering the cost of Hayfork's new fire engine, Loeffler said. The district, which has 19 volunteers, currently has three functioning fire rigs -- all more than 40 years old.
Loeffler said the new engine was ordered last year and was set to become the primary engine for the district, which serves Hayfork's nearly 2,500 residents.
"It's designed to take care of the town," he said.
Source: redding.com
I saw a wreck between a firetruck and an SUV before. It was like the firetruck didn't even care. It MAY have scratched the paint...a little. The SUV resembled a wrecked honda civic (bunched up aluminum foil..)...
ReplyDelete