Reports tell why 2 Augusta firetrucks overturned in a week

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – An investigation carries on soon after two Augusta trucks overturn though responding to emergency calls.

“Locked up” brakes are finding the blame for the two incidents.

The most current incident happened just right before 9:30 p.m. Saturday on Outdated Waynesboro Road at Neely Highway. Tender 12 and Engine 12 ended up heading to a phone when Tender 12 went off the remaining aspect of the highway and overturned.

The firefighter driving the truck was taken to Augusta University Health care Middle for analysis and was later released.

An incident report produced Monday explained Tender 12 was traveling south when the driver slowed thanks to the auto in front of him. The firetruck’s rear brakes locked up, triggering the truck to veer off the street and flip onto its driver facet.

The report says the driver of the firetruck “is at fault for failure to preserve lane.”

The wreck arrived just times just after one more Augusta firetruck overturned along the on-ramp to westbound Interstate 20 from Washington Road.

Ladder Truck 501 rolled above very last Monday even though responding to a business fireplace, Fire Chief Antonio Burden mentioned.

Three firefighters had been hurt, but ended up launched from hospitals afterwards that night.

Also introduced Monday was an accident report on that wreck.

It claims the firetruck was traveling west on Washington Road and the driver was trying to make a still left turn on to the westbound Interstate 20 on-ramp “and the brakes locked up.”

The firetruck started a slight counterclockwise rotation though producing the still left turn and struck the curbing and overturned onto the appropriate facet, in accordance to the incident report.

An officer noticed various tire marks indicating braking and slight rotation, in accordance to the report.

The officer’s investigation determined the driver was traveling much too speedy for disorders, the angle of the transform and the weight distribution of the truck.

An pricey issue

Augusta Fee member Catherine Smith McKnight claims, “I haven’t listened to of two firetrucks flipping more than in a 7 days, it’s virtually unheard of.”

Two overturned fireplace trucks on opposite sides of Augusta, when various times aside, one popular thread from the incident stories is each motorists say the brakes locked up on each vans.

Although motorists and travellers in each incidents had been released following medical procedure, there’s even now the query of the vans.

McKnight claims, “It’s not heading to be inexpensive to replace, or have these firetrucks fixed. It is not and so we need to have to get to the base of why this is taking place.”

McKnight, who is beginning 2023 as the new chair of the Augusta Commission’s General public Safety Committee, designs to handle these incidents at the up coming committee meeting so that a discussion with the comprehensive fee can take spot.

“I felt like we had been getting headway with the suitable training wanted,” McKnight suggests.

This sentiment refers to about 3 months ago when Hearth Main Antonio Burden released the most recent graduating recruit class in October, indicating it is the best-trained class in the background of the Augusta Fire Division.

And there is an practically $5 million grant to hold them here.

The problem continues to be of how a great deal it is likely to choose to replace these two vehicles.

“That’s a discussion that need to be experienced at the fee conference,” McKnight says.

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