State police in Belle Vernon are accusing a firefighter of driving drunk after he wrecked a pumper truck while en route to a fire. John Michael Kimball, 36, of 513 Lebanon School Road, Belle Vernon, is charged with driving under the influence as well as careless driving and driving on roadways laned for traffic, both summary offenses.
Kimball, who has since been expelled from Rostraver Central Volunteer Fire Co., was on his way to a house fire Sept. 24 in South Huntingdon Township.
According to court documents, Kimball was rounded a curve on State Route 3029 in South Huntingdon, strayed off the road and hit a concrete wall with the right side of the truck. Rostraver Assistant Chief Vince Campbell said the accident caused some cosmetic damage and forced the truck's water pump out of place.
Two other firefighters were on board. One was taken to a hospital, where he was treated and released.
The truck and Kimball were driven back to the station, and Campbell left the fire to attend to the accident. Once at the station, and after talking with Kimball, he called the police.
Police said they detected a strong odor of alcohol on Kimball and that his eyes were glassy and bloodshot, and his speech was slurred.
Kimball was taken to a Monongahela Valley Hospital for a blood test, which showed he had a .12 percent blood-alcohol content. In Pennsylvania, drivers are considered legally drunk if they have a blood-alcohol content of .08 percent
Kimball declined to comment, except to say that he has "mixed emotions" about the accident and that he is confident the DUI charge "will be beat."
The fire gutted the house and killed the man who lived there, 53-year-old Nicholas Reed Szary, of 1049 Barren Run Road. His dog, a black Labrador retriever, also died. A state police fire marshal ruled that the fire was accidental, caused by unattended food left cooking on the stove.
Szary died from smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:25 p.m.
Several fire departments were called, including Rostraver. However, Westmoreland County 911 dispatchers had asked only for its ladder truck, which arrived long before Campbell's accident. So Kimball didn't need to drive over with the pumper, Campbell said.
Nonetheless, Kimball, who Campbell said wasn't drinking at the station and was permitted to drive the truck, showed up at the station and went out to see if the others needed help.
He said that given that the township covers a wide geographic area, Rostraver firefighters carry their gear with them and usually report directly to fires and traffic accidents. So, generally, there's nobody at the station to direct traffic, Campbell said.
"It's something we couldn't prevent," said Campbell, who added that Kimball meant well but used poor judgment.
Kimball has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Dec. 6 before District J. Bruce King, of Scottdale.