On Saturday morning, two separate crashes occurred on Indy’s east side resulting in the death of a man and hospitalization of four firefighters.
At approximately 11:20 a.m., a driver who was speeding lost control of their vehicle. They crossed over the center lane and collided with a parked semi at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and E. 30th Street. Tragically, this resulted in the death of a man.
While responding to the aforementioned crash, the fire department faced another setback when one of their vehicles was involved in a separate non-fatal collision at the intersection of E. 30th Street and N. Hawthorne Lane.
David Davis, a witness to the incident, shared his account of the startling event. He mentioned that his friend was frantically running through the house, exclaiming that a firetruck had turned upside down. Upon looking out the window, Davis saw the massive overturned vehicle. “It was one of the biggest firetrucks I’ve ever seen,” he added.
As the IFD’s tactical rescue truck raced down 30th Street with its lights flashing and sirens blaring, a curious man stepped outside to investigate the commotion. The truck was en route to respond to an unrelated fatal crash that had just occurred in the vicinity.
According to John Galada, a witness at the scene, he went up to the top of the bridge and spotted firetrucks approaching from a distance. He observed one of the trucks jumping the curb while the other one came behind and flipped over.
As John Galada watched the scene unfold, he witnessed a fire truck leading the way with another one following closely behind. Suddenly, the second fire truck rolled over, creating a huge cloud of dust. This entire incident was also captured by his security camera.
Galada pointed to the road near his home and explained, “If that truck which flipped over had done the same thing on this side of the corner, it would have continued and possibly wiped out my trailer.”
According to Galada, this crash was an unexpected incident. However, he resides beneath a bend where such occurrences are all too frequent. The lack of proper signage, absence of lighting, and excessive speeding in the area make it even more dangerous.
Galada pointed to the bridge embankment just behind the tree and shared a harrowing tale. According to Galada, a car had hit the embankment with such force that it had burst into flames. The incident had left Galada deeply concerned about the safety of the area. “This corner is incredibly dangerous, and I’m honestly worried. I don’t think I want to stay here anymore,” Galada said.
According to IFD, the truck flipped while attempting to navigate around congested traffic and a wide-load semi that was being escorted by Indiana State Police, which included Sgt. Seth Rainey.
Rainey recalled how quickly their fellow troopers responded, immediately exiting the car to provide aid and assessing the situation to determine the necessary actions.
The spokesperson for IFD expressed gratitude towards the ISP officers who stopped to offer their assistance.
“As I was on duty today, I found myself working outside of my usual district area. Despite my 15 years of experience in law enforcement, I have never witnessed a fire truck rollover before. However, as a highly trained Indiana State police officer, I knew I had to act quickly to handle the situation. All the agencies involved today acted swiftly and efficiently, and I commend them for it. On behalf of the Indiana State Police, we extend our heartfelt prayers and wishes for a speedy recovery to everyone involved in the incident.”
According to IFD, the four firefighters sustained injuries ranging from minor to serious, but thankfully none were life-threatening. At present, they are all recuperating in the hospital.
