Greenbelt Oh-oh

[MalahatTwo7]

Fire Truck Flips Over in Greenbelt. Four Firefighters Escape Serious Injury

POSTED: 8:57 am EDT April 20, 2006

GREENBELT, Md. -- Prince George's County fire officials say four firemen escaped injury Wednesday night when their truck flipped over on Greenbelt Road in Greenbelt, Md.

Officials said Tower 31 was returning from a call to a GNC store in the Greenway Shopping Center when it got a call to respond to a house fire in nearby Berwyn Heights, Md.

Tower 31, is a 1996 Pierce Bronto that has a 134-foot articulating tower, which officials said is the largest in the County.

As Tower 31 made a left hand turn to travel west on Greenbelt Road, officials said it rolled onto its side and slid up against a curb. The vehicle came to rest on its right-hand side.

Officials said the four firefighters on board were wearing seat belts and personal protective firefighting gear, which probably prevented serious injuries.

A City of Greenbelt Police Officer examining the crash scene stated that speed, momentum and weight were all contributing factors in this single-vehicle crash.

No charges were placed against the vehicle operator and an investigation into the exact cause of the accident is on-going.

The extent of damage to the $800,000 vehicle will not be known until after a through examination, said Al Schwartz, volunteer chief of the Beltsville station, but cosmetic and structural damage seemed significant.

Copyright 2006 by nbc4.com.

Just glad to see that all were wearing seatbelts and that no significant injury resulted, other than pride of course. And that can be patched up... eventually.

[scvfd412]

Officials said the four firefighters on board were wearing seat belts and personal protective firefighting gear, which probably prevented serious injuries.

That is very good to hear. Always be safe, you never know what might happen.

[Firetacoma1]

I too am pleasantly surprised to hear they were all restrained and suffered no major injuries! Just another example of why you ALWAYS wear the belts!

[osfd100]

The article on the homepage stated that they spent $800,000 on the truck 10 years ago in 1996. I certainly hope no one from that county complained about the Long Island Departments that were mentioned in the Newsday article.