A North Carolina firefighter considers himself lucky to be alive this month. Usually he’s the one who’s rescuing people from serious accidents or dangerous situations, but when his firetruck overturned this month along a rural road, he quickly became the one that needed rescuing.
The accident occurred just before 1 p.m. along Alamance Church Road in Greensboro. The fire truck was on route to a possible house fire along the same road when the truck slowly began drifting into unpaved shoulder. Startled, the firefighter tried to regain control of the vehicle, but overcorrected in the process. The truck quickly overturned sending the vehicle into a slide before ending up in a ditch.
Thankfully, there were no other vehicles around at the time of the accident. As many people know, fire trucks carry considerable loads of weight, and if that truck had overturned onto another vehicle then the accident could have been far more tragic.
Although we see large trucks such as this driving the streets of North Carolina nearly every day, we often times don’t think about how frequently truck accidents such as this occur. Though rare for a large vehicle to be a firetruck, accidents such as this can be far more deadly because of the enormous weight these vehicles carry. And even though they are easy to spot on roads and highways, drivers in these big rigs may not be as aware of their surroundings as you are.
Although no one was severely injured as a result of this accident, it’s important to point out that if another vehicle had been involved in the accident then they could file for monetary compensation from the driver of the other vehicle. After all, no one should have to suffer silently as a result of someone else’s negligence.
Source: WFMY News, “Fire Truck Overturns Responding to Fire in Guilford County,” Mar. 7, 2013