May 1, 2023 3 min read

As South Strabane firefighters were responding to a motor vehicle accident Saturday, one of the department’s ladder trucks was struck by a speeding passenger vehicle, causing significant damage to the truck.

Shortly before 8:30 p.m., firefighters were dispatched to an accident involving a overturned camper and a pickup truck on I-70 East just after a blind bend.

Fire Chief Jordan Cramer said victims in that accident were treated at the scene.

However, traffic was passing the firefighters at a high rate of speed as they tended to the accident scene.

Truck 44, a 2013 Sutphen Aerial Tower, responded shortly after the dispatch with three additional firefighters and positioned in a blocking pattern to provide early warning, slow traffic and funnel traffic to a single lane to protect the crews working at the accident scene.

However, once the truck was in place, the crew was unable to exit the vehicle because of the “atrocious driving behaviors of approaching traffic,” according to a press release from the fire department.

“We increasingly see that on every single call we go to on the interstates,” Cramer said.

While Truck 44 was in a blocking position with warning lights activated, it was struck by a Jeep SUV traveling well over the 55 mph speed limit, with the crew still inside the truck.

There were no injuries to fire personnel, however, the female driver of the jeep was taken to Mon Valley Hospital with injuries.

That vehicle was totaled, and Truck 44 sustained moderate damage to the driver side, affecting access to its compartments, safety components and electrical system.

“It’s in limited service,” Cramer said of the truck. “It needs some significant repair, probably at least $50,000 to $60,000 in damage.”

Shortly after that incident, a firefighter was on the shoulder of the roadway placing flares to provide additional warning. While doing that he was nearly struck by a vehicle driving at an excessive rate of speed, that did not slow even when though there were state troopers and fire apparatus at the scene.

The fire department report said this driver drove around flares, into the protected accident scene area.

Fire department personnel said this was the second accident that occurred in the backlog of another incident in just four days because of distracted motorists with no regard, traveling at high rates of speed.

“If they travel at the appropriate speed limit, they have time to react appropriately to whatever happens in front of them,” Cramer said. “It is unbelievable when you’re sitting on 70, it doesn’t matter if you have flashing lights or what’s going on, they are flying by us. They have to move over, and they have to slow down.”