By Rod Rose/The Lebanon Reporter
Jamestown
December 27, 2008 10:44 am
—
A Jamestown firefighter was in stable condition late Friday after he was hit by a semi-truck on Interstate 74.
Fred Long, 46, suffered a crushed pelvis, broken leg, numerous internal injuries and internal bleeding, said Boone County Sheriff Department spokesman Deputy Chris Burcham.
Freezing rain caused numerous slide-offs and crashes during about an hour Friday morning, Burcham said.
ƒÞ See Boone Beat, page 7, for a list of the accidents.
¡§It warmed up an hour or two later and things slowed down,¡¨ he said.
Firefighters from Jamestown and Lizton were sent to I-74 to check on a report of a vehicle that had skidded off the ice-covered highway, down an embankment and into trees about 9:20 a.m. It was unknown at the time if the vehicle¡¦s occupants were injured, Burcham said.
There were ¡§a couple of other slide-offs¡¨ in the area, Burcham said.
Long and two other firefighters were on the interstate¡¦s east-bound shoulder about 9:54 a.m. when semi-truck driver Gary Troutman, 44, Indianapolis, told police he saw the emergency vehicle lights but his rig jack-knifed as he tried to stop.
Two other firefighters jumped out of the way, said Burcham.
With Long pinned under the semi-tractor¡¦s rear drive axle, the rig slid into a soggy ditch.
Also struck was a Jeep Cherokee driven by Brian Carter, Ladoga, who had stopped to help the original crash victim, Burcham said.
A Pittsboro Fire Department ambulance rushed Long to Methodist Hospital after he was freed by firefighters and passersby.
Jamestown Fire Chief Jim Hieston said at 4:45 p.m. Long was expected to be in surgery for another two hours.
Burcham said Long will require numerous surgeries.
A JFD volunteer for about three years, Long is training to be an emergency medical technician, Hieston said.
Long ¡§absolutely loves¡¨ being a firefighter, Hieston said. ¡§Fred had a birthday last weekend,¡¨ he said. ¡§He looked at me and said he wished he had done it 20 years ago.¡¨
One of Long¡¦s biggest focuses is educating children on fire safety, Hieston said.
BCSD Sergeant Brian J. Stevenson, a specialist in reconstructing accidents, was investigating the crash.
Sheriff Ken Campbell said motorists who drive too fast for road conditions put emergency personnel at unnecessary risk.
¡§When it is rainy or snowy and cold ... please slow down,¡¨ Campbell said in a statement. ¡§It is better to arrive a few minutes later than to hurt yourself or others.¡¨
Four Pike Township firefighters suffered back, neck and elbow pains when their engine crashed head-on into a tree in Eagle Creek Park, Indianapolis, reported WISH-TV Channel 8. Two were treated and released from Methodist Hospital; two others were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, the TV station reported.
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