Two Indiana volunteer firefighters were injured after they became trapped when their apparatus flipped over as they left the scene of a fire Tuesday.
The accident happened at about 1 p.m. as the Salem Township firefighters were heading back from a barn fire in Daleville, WXIN-TV reports. Another vehicle drove toward the fire apparatus, and the firefighters tried to move over.
"On the roadway, there’s about a foot to a foot and a half drop off on each side, so when a big truck gets so far over it’s an over correction issue, trying to get it back squared up," Fire Chief Todd Lewis told the TV station. "(He) couldn’t get it done in time."
The apparatus collided with a utility pole and became entangled in the power lines. The firefighters, who were wearing their seat belts, were trapped in the vehicle for 45 minutes after it flipped over.
"(We) had to delay getting them extricated out of the vehicle because of the live power lines,” Lewis said.
The driver of the apparatus—a captain and an EMT with the Salem Township department—needed surgery for his severe injuries he suffered, according to WXIN. The other firefighter only suffered minor injuries, and he was treated and released from the hospital.
