Three Rivers, MS Apparatus Accident

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

A Three Rivers volunteer firefighter was at home Monday recovering from minor injuries and a pumper truck is likely a total loss after a weekend wreck, authorities said.
The accident occurred Saturday afternoon on Big Point Road in northeast Jackson County after a firefighter was dispatched in a mainline pumper to a woods fire that was threatening structural damage, said James Parker, chief of the Three Rivers Volunteer Fire Department.
Firefighters were already on the scene, Parker said, but called for backup once they saw the fire might reach homes. On the way to the scene, the firefighter, whom Parker declined to identify, lost control of the truck.
"The right front wheel went over the pavement, and the driver overcorrected and lost control," said Jackson County Sheriff Mike Byrd, whose department is handling the accident investigation. "When she hit the ditch, it flipped."
Although the accident remains under investigation, Byrd said it appears speed was not a factor.
"When I arrived on the scene, the truck was upside down in a ditch," Parker said. "We had one firefighter in the truck, and she had to be cut out."
The firefighter was airlifted to a Mobile hospital, where she was treated and released later that night, he said. She sustained no major injuries and is recovering at home, he added.
"We're not so much worried about the truck damage, because we're just thankful she's OK," Parker said. "The truck was completely turned over, and the cab was smashed in. The Lord was definitely riding with her."
Although the insurance company has not yet reviewed the case, the $200,000 pumper is likely a total loss for the fire department, Parker said.
The department has three stations, each with one pumper, he said. After the accident, a pumper was moved from the south substation near Mississippi Power Co. on Miss. 63 to the main station just north of Big Point Road, also on Miss. 63.
"We're not going to be un dercut," he said. "We have automatic aid from the East Central station, so our area won't do without. We're going to make sure of that."