Tennessee Firefighter Struck At Incident

Oct. 25, 2004
A 19-year-old volunteer firefighter sustained multiple injuries, including broken legs, when he was hit by a car while working an accident scene, officials said.

MAYNARDVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A 19-year-old volunteer firefighter sustained multiple injuries, including broken legs, when he was hit by a car while working an accident scene, officials said.

Daniel Rice, who had been with the Paulette Volunteer Fire Department since he was 16, was directing traffic around a fatal accident Saturday morning when he was struck.

Police cars were blocking the road, but a motorist apparently tried to go around them and struck Rice, knocking him onto the windshield and up over the car, fire chief Matt Lovitt told WBIR television.

``I really think it's a sad situation that if police cars are crossing the road that you shouldn't pass the police cars and you sure shouldn't run people over,'' Lovitt said.

Rice was listed in stable condition Monday at the University of Tennessee Medical Center.

The driver of the car, whose name was not released, received four citations, including one for breaking Tennessee's new ``move over'' law. That law requires drivers to get into another lane when they see emergency vehicles nearby.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the fatal accident, in which a woman was killed when she fell from the car she was riding in with her boyfriend and a friend.

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