A routine morning of yard work turned into a freak roadside emergency for a 77-year-old man north of Kernersville, N.C., when a fire engine overturned and its windshield flew off, striking him in the back as he was weed-eating in his front yard, authorities said.
The crash happened around 8:45 a.m. yesterday as a Piney Grove Fire and Rescue engine was responding to an emergency call. State troopers say the apparatus left the roadway while entering a curve, rolled, then landed back on its wheels and struck a tree. Two firefighters and the homeowner were taken to hospitals for treatment.
What investigators say
Trooper L. S. Bullington of the N.C. State Highway Patrol told The Charlotte Observer that the engine left the roadway, rolled and struck a tree, and that "the windshield came off and struck a pedestrian in the back as he was weed-eating his yard." Bullington said the Highway Patrol is investigating the crash to determine its cause.
Injuries and response
Officials have not released details about the victims' specific injuries, but local station WXII reports that the two firefighters and the 77-year-old man are expected to recover. Authorities say the engine was headed to an emergency call when it crashed.
Piney Grove Fire and the scene
Piney Grove Fire and Rescue describes itself on its website as a combination paid-and-volunteer department operating two stations near Piney Grove Road, with an annual call volume of roughly 500 responses. Maps and local reporting indicate that the stretch of Piney Grove Road where the crash occurred is lined with a mix of single-family homes and farmland, according to The Charlotte Observer.
The N.C. State Highway Patrol continues to investigate and has not released additional details about what caused the engine to leave the roadway. Authorities have not provided further updates on the firefighters' or the homeowner's conditions beyond what local reporting has published.
