Local News
Investigation Into Runaway Fire Truck Nears Completion
The investigation into an accident that involved a Clarksburg fire truck rolling into a crowd of people is near completion and the cause is still unknown.
Decatur County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Rick Underhill, who is leading the investigation, said all human errors have virtually been ruled out. However, without a mechanic’s inspection, he is still unsure what caused the unmanned fire truck to move forward, hit two pedestrians and smash into a parked car.
“There’s nothing obvious,” Underhill said. “Until we get a certified mechanic to look at it, we won’t know if it was mechanical.”
The fire truck responded to Lake Santee July 4 shortly after the annual fireworks display began. The initial call stated Tyler Houk, 21, Greensburg, was thrown from the back of a pick-up truck near the entrance of the gated community at 11 SW Santee Dr. According to the crash report, Houk was unresponsive. Shortly after the accident, as emergency responders were en route, Denise Stevens of Columbus stopped to help Houk. The two were on the ground when the Clarksburg Volunteer Fire Department arrived.
According to the report, the firefighters exited the large red 1988 Gruman Pumper truck and began to help. Then, for unknown reasons, the truck “revved up and went forward.” The runaway vehicle ran over Stevens and Houk before smashing head on into a parked car occupied by Joann Delay of Greensburg. The fire truck was unmanned when it lunged forward, and driver and firefighter Greg Geis jumped into the vehicle and brought it to a stop after it hit Delay’s car, the report states.
All three were transported to Decatur County Memorial Hospital with Houk and Stevens later being transported elsewhere. Delay suffered minor injuries and complained of back pain, according to the report. Houk, who was already incapacitated before the incident with the fire truck, suffered serious injuries to his head from the fall while Stevens suffered serious injuries to her upper legs.
Underhill noted they are still exhausting all avenues to determine what caused the fire truck to rev up and lunge forward. Hopefully, he noted, they’ll find the solution to ensure the tragedy does not happen again.
“It was just one of those tragic things that happened. It’s truly unfortunate,” Underhill said.
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