CAR ERUPTS IN FLAMES AT MALL
MAN MOVES QUICK TO SAVE GRANDSON
Elyria – A car fire at the entrance to the Elyria Midway Mall Tuesday afternoon destroyed a BMW – but nobody was injured.
Martin Ortiz from Lorain said he and his five-year-old grandson was leaving the Midway Mall around 2:15PM when he stopped for the light at the mall exit to Midway Blvd. “As soon as I stopped I heard some noises from under the car and then all of a sudden I saw flames coming from underneath the car.”
Ortiz said he immediately turned to the back seat to get his Grandson and get out of the car. “I got him unbuckled and when I turned to get out of the car it was all flames – I had to carry him through the flames, I had to get him to safety.”Moments after the car burst into flames Officers from the Midway Mall Security quickly secured the area by blocking the exit and entrances near the fire. They also dropped traffic cones along Midway Blvd to re-direct traffic away from the fire scene.
Elyria Firefighters responded and extinguished the blaze in about 10 minutes.
While Firefighters were working to finish extinguishing the fire a woman drove her car between the BMI and a Police Car and over a fire hose and right past a Firefighter to get into the Mall. Elyria Police Officer Hetzel See was talking with Ortiz at the time but witnessed the woman drive through the scene – Officer See ran after the car and had her stop. See cited the woman for driving through the emergency scene.The woman’s passenger was not happy for being pulled over telling us; “It’s a fire hose, not a human, what’s the big deal?”
Chief Joseph Pronesti of the Elyria Fire Department said that the big deal is that more Firefighters are killed and injured while on the highways at crashes and car fires then fighting fires. “I’m happy to hear that Officer See went after her and cited her. People have to allow us to do our jobs while out on the roads and when people drive through scenes like that they are putting a lot of peoples lives in danger.”
PHOTO GALLERY
posted by TMC NEWS at 5:28 PM
21 Comments:
"The woman’s passenger was not happy for being pulled over telling us; “It’s a fire hose, not a human, what’s the big deal?”"
Sad when that is the attitude today. Not what can I do to help someone else, but what can I do to help me and how can you help me as well.
No wonder this world is going to hell so quickly.
Im glad to see that no one was injured in the fire... i think that the woman should speak to the men and women who have been involved in accidents where people decided they were going to drive in the way of EMS,FIRE,and Law.. "its a hose, not a human".. take away her license she obviously doesn't have a brain..
He should have done more then just give her a citation. As a firepolice officer I have to say nothing erks me more then running across stories of ignorant people. I cannot believe how many inconciderate yet greedy people we have in this country. If it had been that womens car or house on fire and some idiot ran over the fire hose stopping water flow and possible hitting firefighters then she would be talking and walking with a different story. It really upsets me when public servants of our Fire dept's, Police dept's,and EMS dept's have to worry about scene safety rather then getting the job done. This officer is most deff. in my eyes a GREAT Law Enforcement Officer. If anyone would like to gripe on this perhaps you should referr to the you tube video of a Pennsylvania Firefighter working a car wreck who was ran over by a idiot as like the women in this story. Correct me if I'm wrong but wouldnt this be able to be a ticket an on her record for in attentive driving. Thank God She wasn't speeding and hit the firefighter.
"It’s a fire hose, not a human, what’s the big deal?”
If it's one thing that fails to amaze me, it's people's ignorance.
I HOPE YOUR FEMALE DRIVER READS THIS AND REALIZES THE SERIOUSNESS OF HER ACTIONS AND THAT NOONE SHOULD GET OFF ANY CHARGES OF ENTERING A EMERGENCY SCENE. PEACE!
Man who tried to stop driver who killed fireman Jim Hughes in 1994 speaks from the heart in the wake of Waikato fireman Derek Lovell’s death.
A tanker driver who tried to get the police to stop a speeding car that killed Auckland firefighter Jim Hughes in 1994 has spoken out poignantly on this blog about his grief over the incident and how he tried to run the car that killed Mr Hughes off the road.
Auckland man Rodger McCutcheon posted a lengthy comment tonight under the article paying tribute to Hamilton fireman Derek Lovell, who died of injuries sustained in the Icepak coolstore explosion at Tamahere on Saturday.
Mr McCutcheon identified himself as the petrol tanker driver who followed an eratically driven car until it struck senior firefighter Jim Hughes, who was operating a fire engine pump during a clean-up after a fatal accident on Auckland’s Northern Motorway on Saturday July 9 1994.
Mr Hughes, a father of three, was struck at full speed by a driver who ploughed through flashing lights and emergency vehicles at the accident cordon. Minutes earlier the police had been warned of an erratic driver heading for the scene near the Onewa Rd onramp.
In his comment tonight, Mr McCutcheon says he made three cellphone calls from his tanker to the police as he followed the car for 20 minutes along the motorway. He watched in horror as the car crushed Jim Hughes against the fire engine’s pump panel.
“I have carried the grief of this shocking incident with me and I still find myself feeling so terribly let down by the police as Jim’s death was needless. If the police had taken my calls seriously Jim would still be here today.
“What I did not say at the time of this accident for fear of losing my job, was that, in a last ditch effort, when I saw the police had no idea of the danger coming their way, I made desperate efforts with my fully loaded tanker to push the drunk’s car off the road or at least spin it off. Unfortunately I missed the rear of the car and had a hell of a job controlling the tanker as the liquid shifted in the tanks. Right after stabilising the tanker, I then witnessed the drunk driver nearly take out a policeman before seeing him take Jim Hughes’s life.”
Mr McCutcheon says he heard a senior fireman on the radio today saying those people who stepped in to assist in the Tamahere fire should be recognised by the state for a bravery award.
“I don’t deny these people, but surely people like me who tried to save a life and failed, have an emptiness like those people will never know.
“Making every attempt to save a life and not succeeding is devastating; if my attempts had saved Jim’s life this would be all the reward I would need. How do you think it feels to be let down to such a degree by others after making all possible attempts to save Jim; still to this day it haunts me.
“To Jim’s children I’m so sorry, your loss I live with everyday.”
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NORRISTOWN - A Conshohocken man is behind bars at the county prison for a hit-and-run accident involving a Wissahickon volunteer firefighter helping to battle the devastating apartment blaze on Wednesday in Conshohocken.
Douglass Christopher Weiss, 30, of the 400 block of New Elm St., is charged with leaving the scene of an accident, driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, illegally driving over a fire hose, reckless driving and related offenses.
Paul Resnick, a 32-year-old Wissahickon firefighter, was assisting another firefighter in directing traffic at West Second Ave. and Forrest Street at about 9:40 p.m. Wednesday when he was struck by a pickup truck that Weiss allegedly was driving.
Resnick was treated and released from an area hospital for unspecified, non-life-threatening injuries.
"The fact he was hit at all, injured at all when he was out there as a volunteer putting his own life on the line to help other people, that is a terrible thing," said Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman Friday in announcing the arrest.
Based on information from witnesses at the scene, police immediately tracked Weiss down at his home and took him into custody.
Weiss was arraigned on the charges and sent to the county prison in lieu of $5,000 cash bail. A detainer also has been lodged against him for another unspecified case.
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A firefighter has been hit by a car while trying to put out a blaze at a shop in Adelaide's north-east.
The fire at an Australia Post in Collingswood is now contained but the building has been severely damaged.
Emergency Services spokesman Brenton Keyne says a firefighter was knocked over by a car within the first few minutes of arrival.
"Obviously this driver of a vehicle hadn't seen the firefighter ... was probably looking at the fire, ran over an equipment trolley and brushed the firefighter knocking him to the ground," he said.
"Fortunately he didn't sustain any injuries."
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How to piss off the guys in the fire truck@Everything2.com6) On/near a fire scene, the road will likely be blocked. ... her parking space was the main supply hose, which can not be run over under any circumstance. ...
everything2.com/e2node/How%2520to%2520piss%2520off%2520the%2520guys%2520in%2520the%2520fire%2520truck - 34k - Cached - Similar pages
WILKES-BARRE -- A city firefighter testified on Monday that he was in fear for his life when Thomas Goldsworthy stopped his vehicle inches away from him during a fire emergency on Barney Street on July 17.
Firefighter Thomas Heffers and firefighter Thomas Cross said Goldsworthy, 56, became upset and yelled obscenities at them because Barney Street was closed due to a fire.
Heffers said Goldsworthy nearly struck him with his vehicle. Police charged Goldsworthy with two felony counts of aggravated assault and misdemeanor counts of simple assault, reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct and three traffic offenses.
After a preliminary hearing in Central Court on Monday, District Judge Paul Hadzick dismissed the two felony charges and forwarded the misdemeanor charges and traffic offenses to Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas.
Heffers testified he was sitting in a fire engine at the intersection of Barney and Division streets as Cross hooked up a hose to a hydrant.
Heffers said he saw Cross talking to the driver of a Ford Taurus identified as Goldsworthy, who was yelling obscenities.
"I did hear him say, 'I'll run you the (expletive) over,' " Heffers testified.
Heffers got out of the fire engine and stood about five feet from the front of Goldsworthy's vehicle. Heffers said he told Goldsworthy that he couldn't drive on Barney Street due to a blaze firefighters were battling inside a home.
Heffers testified Goldsworthy accelerated, with the vehicle's bumper nearly hitting him. Heffers said he placed his hands on the vehicle's hood and informed Goldsworthy that Barney Street was closed.
"The vehicle came right up to my knees and I leaned forward on the car," Heffers said, adding that he feared for his life.
Cross said Goldsworthy backed up and drove through the St. Aloysius Church parking lot. He provided police with the license plate number of the vehicle that was later found in front of Goldsworthy's Barney Street residence.
firehouse.com
http://www.lionvillefire.org/hwy_safety/hwy_safety.ppt#268,9,Slide 9
CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL
Official Press Release
At approx. 1654 hrs. on Saturday, Soledad Fire Dept. was dispatched on a car fire on north bound US101 just north of Soledad.
When they arrived, they found an abandoned van fully engulfed, parked on the right shoulder. Their fire engine was parked up-wind, in front of the vehicle. 32 yr. old Soledad Firefighter Mario F. Cunha was rolling out a fire hose to begin to extinguish the fire.
A Chevy Corsica was approaching the scene, in the #2 lane, at an unknown rate of speed and struck the firefighter. The impact flung him on top of the fire engine and onto the ground. He was declared deceased at the scene. Firefighter Cunha had been with the Soledad Fire Department since April 2002 and lived in Soledad.
The Chevy fled the scene and continued north.
Approximately an hour later, the suspect and Chevy were located by Gonzales Police Department just outside the city of Gonzales. The California Highway Patrol arrested the unlicensed driver who was a 28 year old female from Salinas. The CHP booked the suspect into the Monterey County jail for vehicular manslaughter and felony hit-and-run.
North-bound traffic on US101 was diverted for approximately 3 and a half hours. The California Highway Patrol’s MAIT team will be assisting with the investigation.
http://cms.firehouse.com/content/article/article.jsp?id=27533§ionId=39
The driver has to be ignorant! Congrats to the officer. Should have locked her up.
You should of seen it!!! TMCNEWS loves it when crap goes down. I see this woman cutting between the incident and the cop car, right over the fire hose. I yell at her she looks at me like I'm nuts (no comment). The Patrolman stops her, TMCNEW gets the Shot!!!! What a GREAT TIME... Its FUN riding the RIG. That's where we earn the money!
Ffr. J.Castle
EFD Engine Co. 3
Lorain Blvd. @ Bell
Officer See - --
Guess it is a good thing that he is still on the force..
Right, Medders?
Good thing it was only a hose and not a person. From her comment, I really don't know if she would have stopped even if it had been a person. Definitely time for TMC to run the "slow down" message again regarding accidents and plaster it on this lady's forehead. Hopefully she gets a nice lecture in the courtroom.
too bad the woman with the attitude wasn't in the corvette.
wow she looks like a real winner!!! I would of yelled at her 2!! There are some very stupid ppl around here
That woman is completly ignorant. I would have smacked her. Good job TMC.
Talk about a real idiot. What was so important that she needed to put lives in danger to get the mall. Instead of a citation, the woman and her passenger need their licences revoked for stupidity!
What an idiot!!
Why are there so many idiots on the road?
Dear:
Ffr. J.Castle
EFD Engine Co. 3
Lorain Blvd. @ Bell
You really need to have a little more respect for the men and women of the International who lead firefighters like you. It is with thier experience and wisdom that you remain safe and are looked out for, from the fire scene to operational procedures, to the upper management of the fire department. To suggest (which you are) that the only reason to be a firefighter is to have fun and make money, is also disrespectful to the profession. To all of you out there thinking this, and I know there are, there are some of us that choose this profession for the shear delight and devotion of helping others in a time of need.
Respectfully serving,
James R. Rolling, IAFF Member
Atlanta Fire Department
Dear Mr. Rolling (Atlanta Fire)
Well Let me retort: When I speak of the word "FUN" that we have and always will have. I'm speaking of the shear delight and devotion of the job I do. I have been doing this profession since I was 18 years old and if I'm counting right... thats 29 years into it. I have served in US Air Force as a Firefighter / Crew Chief for 6 years, and holding the rank of Sgt. in charge of fire protection on multi million dollars of federal property and aircraft. I have been around the fire house since I was 10 years old. Having two older brothers one as an Asst. Chief, and one as a Firefighter, and several other family members also as Firefighters. I think, and I know a little bit about having respect for the "higher ups" and the Job. Oh and I have also done this job for free on several volunteer companies. So if your ever in this neck of the woods, I envite you to come hang out, it will only cost you a dollars worth, to ride!! And bring your clown nose!
Ffr J. Castle
EFD Engine Co. 3
Lorain Blvd. @ Bell
unfortunate for two brothers of the fire service to argue about this. Remember FTM PTB first brothers!
This is a prime reason why women shouldn't be aloud to get a drivers license :o)
Maybe there is more to the blue sign hanging from her rear view mirror?
That my friend is a direct product of the democratic party and the mentality that comes along with it. Congratulations unions, you've done a great job tearing down the Greater Cleveland society! Hurry up every body, let's vote for Obama so that he can bring the change that the democrats have brought to us so far.
"The woman’s passenger was not happy for being pulled over telling us; “It’s a fire hose, not a human, what’s the big deal?”"
Sad when that is the attitude today. Not what can I do to help someone else, but what can I do to help me and how can you help me as well.
No wonder this world is going to hell so quickly
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