JOY LEIKER
Story Courtesy of Hays Daily News
Kansas Highway Patrol Report:
RUSSELL, Kansas -- An accident report distributed by the Kansas Highway Patrol late Friday
afternoon, stated that the fire truck from the Paradise, Kansas department
lost its brakes as it approached the accident scene. It stated, the truck
was coming down a hill and the breakes went out. It struck the Russell
County vehicle and the pedestrian (Chief Earl Hemphill) at about the same time.
The Russell County vehicle hit another fire truck. The paradise fire truck
rolled over when it went into a ditch.
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RUSSELL, Kansas -- Russell Fire Chief Earl Hemphill was killed Thursday morning as he directed traffic at the scene of a traffic accident north of town.
Hemphill, 61, was among the first to respond to the scene on U.S. Highway 281 less than 8 miles north of Russell, where a Suburban pulling a trailer had rolled and blocked the northbound lane of traffic. Both the Suburban and trailer flipped on their tops on the roadway at 10:16 a.m., and according to reports given to Russell County Sheriff John Fletcher, Hemphill stood in the roadway and directed a single lane of traffic around the accident as more emergency crews responded.
While directing traffic, a second accident occurred involving a Paradise Fire Truck and a sports utility vehicle. The fire truck, driven by Paradise Fire Chief Justin Frye, was reporting to the scene of the first injury accident. Both the fire truck and the sports utility vehicle, driven by Rachelle Standley, the Russell County deputy appraiser, were southbound when the two collided.
Hemphill was struck at some point in the second accident, although as of this morning, it is unknown which vehicle hit him.
The fire truck rolled into the west ditch and onto its top. The sports utility vehicle, owned by Russell County, came to rest on its side.
Traffic was rerouted from the highway to nearby county roads, and the highway remained closed for most of the day. Fletcher said the road wasn't reopened until about 6 p.m.
The Kansas Highway Patrol is investigating the accident. The KHP's accident reports were not available this morning. A spokeswoman in Salina said she didn't expect them to be completed until later today, at the earliest.
Hemphill was pronounced dead at Russell Regional Hospital. Both Frye and Standley were taken there as well, and Frye was listed in good condition this morning, according to hospital administrator Roger Knak. Standley was transferred to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, where she was listed in fair condition this morning.
A spokeswoman in the Russell County Appraiser's office said Standley might be released from the hospital later today.
As uncertainty surrounded the series of accidents, Russell residents and community leaders remembered Hemphill as an active and efficient leader.
He started as a volunteer firefighter for the city in 1967.
Fletcher, who has been involved in Russell law enforcement for 17 years and was appointed sheriff in October 1999, noted Hemphill was "very dedicated" to his job.
Prior to Fletcher's career in law enforcement, he worked for Hemphill as one of the department's on-duty firemen in the early 1980s.
"He loved what he did," Fletcher said.
Frank Peirano, retired public works director for the city of Russell, said he and Hemphill had worked together on a number of projects throughout their careers.
"Earl was very, very dedicated to his job," Peirano said this morning. "He took everything very seriously in his line of duty. I know you have to with that job, but he was exceptional."
City Councilwoman Nancy Holland said she, along with the entire Russell community, "are in shock."
"He was just a wonderful man. He was extremely devoted to his job," she said. "I can't think of anybody who enjoyed his job more or who made it more important."
Services for Hemphill are pending with Pohlman's Mortuary in Russell.
Related:
Russell, Kansas Fire Chief Killed in Accident