Overturned Fire Truck Traps Firefighter in Tennessee

June 20, 2014
Two firefighters were injured and one was pinned in the overturned Kittrell tanker truck.

Two firefighters were injured after their tanker overturned while responding to a Readyville house fire Friday.

Two firefighters, ages 22 and 24, were responding in the Kittrell Volunteer Fire Department's tanker when the crash happened at 12 p.m.

"They were on their way to the scene of a structure fire that was in the 1300 block and the accident was actually in the 1700 block," said Randy White, spokesman for Rutherford County Emergency Services.

"It rolled somewhere between one and a half times and two and a half times, but the Tennesee Highway Patrol is still investigating that."

Pinned inside the tanker, the 22-year-old firefighter was talking with emergency crews while they worked to free him.

"It took 40 minutes because of the way the tanker truck way laying, but he was only caught by his hand."

He was flown by Vanderbilt Life Flight to the Vanderbilt University's trauma center for evaluation.

The 24-year-old was "basically able to walk away from the accident."

White said the injuries to both of them appeared to be non-life threatening.

Firefighters from the Murfreesboro Fire Department responded to the fire scene.

The Rutherford County EMS's Rescue Special Operations rescue truck was at the scene to assist with extrication.

Three EMS units responded from Rutherford County responded. Two were at the crash scene and one at the nearby fire scene.

"You'd be hard pressed to find out how anybody lived through it."

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