Firefighter Struck in I-24 Hit-and-Run Involving Tractor-Trailer
PLANSNT VIEW, TENNESSEE (Smokey Barn News) — In what officials are calling a hit-and-run incident, a local firefighter is recovering after being struck by a tractor-trailer on I-24 early Tuesday morning. The impact threw the firefighter to the ground, while the semi continued forward and struck a mounted ladder on a Pleasant View fire truck before leaving the scene.
According to Pleasant View Fire Chief PJ Duncan, the incident occurred around 3:44 a.m. on May 13 near mile marker 27 on the eastbound side of Interstate 24. LOCATION OF CRASH The Pleasant View Volunteer Fire Department (PVVFD), along with other emergency crews, had responded to a crash involving a single vehicle that had veered off the road and come to rest in a wooded median.
Firefighters from Squad 6 entered the wooded area to reach the vehicle’s sole occupant, who had only minor injuries but needed assistance exiting. As one firefighter — working his very first shift — was retrieving equipment to assist with the extrication, he was struck and thrown to the ground by a passing semi that failed to yield to the emergency scene. The semi also clipped a mounted ladder on the fire truck, breaking it on impact, before fleeing, officials said.
Robertson County EMS was already on scene and quickly rendered aid to the injured firefighter, who was evaluated inside the ambulance but was not transported.
Emergency vehicles had been staged along the shoulder of the interstate to remain close to the wooded crash site, located on a curve in a two-lane section of I-24. Wet conditions from recent rain made it impractical to position vehicles off-road.
“This incident highlights the extreme risk emergency responders face every time they step onto a roadway to help others,” said Chief Duncan. “We are incredibly thankful that our firefighter is expected to recover, but the outcome could have been tragically different.”
The PVVFD expressed gratitude to Robertson County EMS and all responding agencies, and reminded the public to slow down and move over for emergency vehicles. Your caution could save a life.
