A fire chief in a western West Virginia county luckily avoided serious injury last week when he was struck by a driver while directing traffic.
The Herald-Dispatch reports that Logan County Fire Chief Joe Wimmer was assisting with hazard control after power lines were knocked down in a roadway in the town of Man on Thursday when the incident happened.
While first responders were trying to maintain traffic flow and awaiting the arrival of an Appalachian Power crew, driver Jeffery Woods, 53, approached Chief Wimmer at high speed. When the chief signaled for Woods to stop, he refused and told Wimmer he was going around the traffic because he wanted to go home.
Woods proceeded to try and drive around several vehicles, striking Wimmer in the legs and sending him toppling onto the hood of the vehicle before he fell to the pavement when the vehicle came to a stop. Woods then left the scene.
A Logan County sheriff's deputy was nearby and located Woods' vehicle, but when the deputy tried to perform a traffic strop, Woods put the car in reverse and slammed into another vehicle as he attempted to flee.
Woods then refused to exit his vehicle and held onto the steering wheel as the deputy tried to remove him from the driver's seat. After a brief struggle, Woods was removed from the car and placed under arrest. Several field sobriety tests showed no signs of impairment.
Woods is facing a multitude of charges including failure to yield, fleeing the scene, reckless driving, obstructing an officer and obstructing a firefighter.
