Wednesday, November 26, 2014
BOARDMAN
A Boardman fire truck is out of commission following an accident Wednesday morning, in which the truck crashed into a telephone pole near the intersection of Shields Road and Lockwood Boulevard.
After responding to a medical emergency at about 2 a.m. Wednesday, the truck was heading east on Shields about 200 yards from the intersection with Lockwood when a deer ran in front of the truck, causing the driver to swerve, Fire Chief Mark Pitzer said.
The truck rolled into a ditch, striking a telephone pole.
One firefighter was taken to St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital for minor injuries to his arm. The other two firefighters in the truck were not injured.
Pitzer said the damage to the truck is “significant.” The cab is crushed, he said.
An insurance company will assess the cost of the damage to the vehicle.
Pitzer said at minimum the cab will have to be replaced.
“We can replace vehicles and equipment, but we don’t want to have to replace people,” Pitzer said. “We’re thankful that nobody was injured and that everybody was wearing their seat belts. The passengers are very lucky to be alive.”
“If he wasn’t wearing his seat belt, we could have had a fatality,” Pitzer said of one of the firefighters.