Switz City, IN, Fire Chief Thanks 'Modern Day Safety" for Surviving Tanker Rollover

Fairplay Grant Fire Territory Chief Bryan Woodall was driving the two-month-old tanker when it went off the road and rolled over.

Peter Matthews

April 1, 2025

2 min read

Fairplay Grant Fire Territory Fire Chief Bryan Woodall was behind the wheel of the Switz City Fire Department, which was two months old.

The Fairplay Grant Fire Territory fire chief shared with his community that the use of safety equipment saved his life after the tanker he was driving went off the road and rolled over.

Fire Chief Bryan Woodall was behind the wheel of a two-month-old tanker for the Switz City Fire Department, built by Deep South Fire Trucks, when the rig got too close to the edge of the road.

"I moved over too far on the edge of the county road and the truck went down into the ditch. I thought I could ride it out, but when the truck came to the end of the ditch the culvert caused the truck to bounce and skid sideways," Woodall shared on Facebook. "The truck went off the other side of the road skidding sideways in the road. The truck rolled ovet pmr time and came to rest on the passenger side."

Fire Chief Bryan Woodall said the rig got too close to the end of the road, which put the rig into the ditch.

The rig came to rest straddling the ditch and sustained significant damage.

Woodall's family was notified of the crash by the Life360 app's Crash Detection program. He reached out to them to let them know he was okay.

"Through modern day safety, seatbelts and God's great hand, I was saved from any extreme injury," said Woodall.

Reflecting on the crash, he reminded citizens about the dangers of driving on country roads.

"It just reminds you of the dangers of big trucks on the county roads. Remember that most county roads do not have shoulders and if they are blacktopped. There is a definite drop off."

He was taken to Greene County General Hospital to be assessed.

On Facebook, Woodall thanked the citizens who jumped in to help him out when they witnessed the crash, his firefighters and ambulance crew.

A heavy wrecker was brought in to remove the tanker.

A heavy wrecker lifted the Switz City Fire Department after it rolled over.

About the Author

Peter Matthews

Editor-in-Chief/Conference Director

Peter Matthews is the conference director and editor-in-chief of Firehouse. He has worked at Firehouse since 1999, serving in various roles on both Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com staffs. He completed an internship with the Rochester, NY, Fire Department and served with fire departments in Rush, NY, and Laurel, MD, and was a lieutenant with the Glenwood Fire Company in Glenwood, NY. Matthews served as photographer for the St. Paul, MN, Fire Department and currently is a photographer for the Fort Worth, TX, Fire Department.