Wis. Firefighter Dives From Crash at Fire Scene

Dec. 7, 2012
Authorities said a Cuba City firefighter had to dive to avoid two cars after a traffic crash near a Grant County fire Thursday afternoon.

Dec. 07--Authorities said a Cuba City firefighter had to dive to avoid two cars after a traffic crash near a Grant County fire Thursday afternoon.

A Grant County man was cited for inattentive driving in the crash, which happened when rear-ended a woman who was stopped as part of traffic control near the fire, according to a news release from the Grant County Sheriff's Department.

The two drivers were hurt but the firefighter was not, authorities said.

Emergency crews were responding to a machine shed that was on fire in Smelser Township around 4:15 Thursday afternoon, the Sheriff's Department said, and one of them had stopped a car driven by 26-year-old Nieley Daily just south of the fire on Highway 80.

Another driver, 44-year-old Michael Connolly, did not see that Daily's car was stopped and rear-ended it, sending the stopped car across another lane and into a ditch, the release said. The firefighter controlling traffic had to dive into another ditch to get out of the way.

The crash closed part of Highway 80 for about an hour as authorities treated the drivers and investigated what happened.

Connolly was taken to Southwest Health Center in Platteville with non-life-threatening injuries, the Sheriff's Department said, and was cited for inattentive driving.

Daily was treated for minor injuries at the hospital as well, and was cited for not having insurance on her car, authorities said. Her 6-year-old daughter was in the car with Daily, but was not hurt.

Copyright 2012 - The Wisconsin State Journal

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