Texas - A New Summerfield firefighter responding to a large grass fire was seriously injured when the tanker truck he was riding in struck a Union Pacific train. The accident occurred at the intersections of Farm-to-Market Road 2750 and Farm-to-market Road 2064 near the Goliad community. The incident oc-curred about 30 miles south of Tyler near the Cherokee and Smith counties’ line.
Texas Department of Public Safety trooper Eric Long said the firefighter’s truck struck the engine of the train after failing to stop at the crossing.
The fire truck sat twisted against the train and the cab was crushed.
“He (the firefighter) was se-riously injured and flown to East Texas Medical Center in Tyler where he is being treated,” he said.
As emergency crews cleared the wreckage, which was scattered over 25 yards, firefighters hugged and comforted each other at the scene.
Long said the accident occurred about 2 p.m. when the 35-year old firefighter was re-sponding to a fire in the Troup area.
“The railroad crossing lights were flashing, but for whatever reason he just didn’t stop for the train. This is really a bad deal for everyone involved,” he said. New Summerfield Fire Chief Joe Nix said the firefighter was driving a water tanker for water support for the 200-plus acre fire.
“I am awestruck at this right now, because we have training on emergency vehicle operations. This is a large fire we are working and he was just trying to get there to help, but I can’t explain why he didn’t stop see-ing how the rail crossing lights are still flashing,” he said.
Nix said ETMC counselors were holding a Critical Incident Stress Debriefing at the New Summerfield City Hall for all emergency crews responding.
“We are a small department in a small community. When something like this happens it is like it has happened to your own family. They are my family,” he said. "We are grieving and praying right now as a family
This is not a good situation at all. My heart goes out to all involved.
I have been a volunteer firefighter and driven large firetrucks. They do not start moving very quickly nor do they stop very quickly. When responding to a fire with the lights flashing and the siren sounding, the adrenaline is flowing rapidly. You have to make split second decisions during this time and some of them are not good. He might have thought he could beat the train but still that is not a good decision.
Both railroading and firefighting are dangerous lines of work. This accident was avoidable, but it still happened.
When you are in the “know” having radio communications with other firetrucks he might have thought stopping for the train would be the difference between losing a home to fire or not. Right now we just don’t know. Either way, this is a very sad accident.
Good points. I too have served in the fire service (12+ years in two departments). Sadly, I have had near misses with emergency vehicles violating the RR ROW when I was running trains. Lights and sirens can’t overrule crossing warnings or the train that activated them. That adrenalin rush you describe when operating fire apparatus does tend to overpower judgement. I’ve felt it many times. One large reason why all departments up here in the snow belt have a rule about not responding to the scene in personal vehicles with a blue light, but instead responding to the station and bringing a fire unit or riding on one. Much safer. Fewer accidents enroute and at the scene.
Word from one of the fire service news sources I get said that the train hit the truck, but I can’t say that said source is any more or less authoritative. Regardless, he should have stopped. Two thousand gallons of water is no match for two hundred thousand pounds of locomotive, never mind the rest of the train.
I’ve had plenty of emergency vehicle ops training (and almost 10 years running with a red light and siren on my truck) and know that the adrenaline that comes from running lights and siren, and responding to a “big one” can have a significant effect. It isn’t much different from the added “skill” afforded by alcholic beverages.
This isn’t the first apparatus accident involving trains, and unfortunately won’t be the last. Hopefully some emergency vehicle operators will learn from the incident. As is the case with fire prevention, we never know if we’ve been truly successful in getting the message out since the incidents don’t occur in the first place.
As a firefighter we have to obey traffic laws. The red lights and the big red truck do not give us right of way over trains. We take courses here on “Emergency response” which tries to teach us about all the hazards and responsibility of driving a Emergency vehicle.
Look , Listen and Live.