2 Attachment(s)
Ohio fire truck kills two civilians:
MASSILLON, OH. May 6, 2008:
http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?I...ubCategoryID=0
A man and a child were killed early this morning and four city firefighters were injured when their vehicles collided on Walnut Road SE in a crash that stretched nearly a block.
Massillon firefighters, police and Ohio Highway Patrol troopers remained at the scene late this morning investigating the crash.
Officials declined to release names, saying the investigation is continuing.
Onlookers identified the man as the grandfather of the baby.
Both were riding in a Dodge Caravan that was struck in the side by an oncoming Massillon Fire Department aerial truck at Johnson Street and Walnut SE, which had sheared a utility pole in half.
Danny Clark witnessed the impact. He said the driver of the fire truck was "barreling" down the street, which was marked by stop signs and a four-way, blinking traffic light.
"That truck was pushing the car down the street," Clark said. "The big old sucker got to be going 50-60 miles per hour ..."
Fire Chief Tom Burgasser said the truck was headed to a fully-involved vehicle fire in the 1200 block of Huron Road SE. It never made it.
Clark said he ran out into the street looking for the vehicle that was hit and saw the child lying alongside the street.
Eyewitnesses said the child was thrown from the vehicle when it struck the pole. The fire truck had pushed the van nearly an entire block to 13th Street SE.
The bottom half of the pole, lay where the wreck ended. The entire driver's side of the minivan was shoved into the passenger's side.
The man and child were pronounced dead at the scene.
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UPDATE: May 8
The van's driver, Ronald E. Anderson, 72, of Massillon, died at the scene. His stepgrandson, Javarre J. Tate, 4, died at the hospital. Anderson was taking Javarre to preschool.
IRONICALLY:
Susan Toles, 47, [the driver of the fire truck] a distant cousin of Anderson, was "very traumatized," by the crash, Smith said. Anderson's sister, Marva Robinson, said the family has forgiven Toles. "It was an accident," she said.
TOLES' DRIVING HISTORY:
A review of Toles' personnel file Wednesday showed:
-- An internal memo from Oct. 3, 2007, indicated Toles felt uncomfortable operating Engine No. 211. She sought more training lessons.
-- In April 2001, she was the driver of an ambulance involved in a minor crash on Lincoln Way E near Eighth Street NE. A Ford Explorer and ambulance sideswiped each other, the crash report said.
-- In June 1992, she was the driver of an ambulance involved in a minor incident at Genshaft Park. The ambulance had a 6-foot scratch on it after she struck a gate.
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Update - copied from another thread:
Quote:
Monday, June 23, 2008
BY Benjamin Duer
REPOSITORY STAFF WRITER
A Massillon firefighter won't face any criminal charges for this fatal crash in May that killed a 4-year-old and his grandfather.
MASSILLON A city firefighter won't face any criminal charges for a fatal crash last month that killed a 4 year-old and his grandfather.
There was "insufficient evidence" to charge firefighter Susan Toles with a crime, said Canton City Prosecutor Frank Forchione. Forchione agreed to review the evidence since it involved a Massillon city employee.
According to the Ohio Highway Patrol, Toles and three other firefighters were responding to a car fire May 6, when the engine collided with a minivan at Walnut Road and Johnson Street SE.
http://www.indeonline.com/local_news...FATAL-ACCIDENT
