Firefighters in northeastern North Carolina narrowly saved a stranded family before a tractor-trailer slammed into their stranded vehicle and exploded Monday. But the tense moments didn't stop there for rescue crews.
During the accident cleanup, a car drove through a road barricade, and a woman in the passenger seat pulled a gun on firefighters, WECT-TV reports.
According to the TV station, Acme-Delco-Riegelwood Fire-Rescue firefighters responded to a call at around 10 p.m. Monday about a disabled car on the shoulder of Highway 74/76 in Columbus County. The family had been moving to North Carolina from neighboring South Carolina when a tire fell off their car.
As the firefighters tried to move the car, a tractor-trailer was spotted barreling down the highway, unable to stop.
"We looked back and saw a tractor-trailer coming, and it did not look like it was slowing down," volunteer firefighter and EMT Myles Swain told WECT.
The semi crashed into a fire-rescue vehicle before hitting the stranded car, causing it to explode. Firefighters say the truck barely missed two first responders, and the ensuing fire from the explosion wiped out the family's possessions and money.
The accident shut down both highway lanes for several hours. But as crews cleared away the debris, pickup truck drove into the cleanup area.
"Somebody broke through the barricade, and when we asked them to stop and turn around, he became very irate," Swain told WECT. "His female companion pulled a gun on us."
No shots were fired during the incident, but the car's driver hit a firefighter, dragging the first responder along the highway. The firefighter suffered minor injuries.
"It's hard to fathom really," Swain told the station. "I couldn't believe it was happening when it was going on,"
Authorities are investigating the crash and the gun incident. They also are still looking for the pickup, a blue or gray, late model Chevrolet Silverado.
