Paducah Fire Chief Steve Kyle has released a statement Thursday after a firetruck was involved in a collision with a car in the intersection of Hinkleville Road and James Sanders Boulevard the day before.
The firetruck was on its way to a medical emergency, police reported Wednesday, when the wreck happened.
Kyle says the Paducah Fire Department is thankful that the crew of the firetruck was not injured and that the passengers in the car didn’t suffer life threatening injuries.
The chief says the department has reviewed the crash footage recorded on a traffic camera, and has determined that the firefighter driving the truck “acted with ‘due regard'” in the incident.
We are including the full statement below.
Yesterday, the Paducah Fire Department had a fire apparatus involved in a motor vehicle collision at the intersection of Hinkleville Road and James Sanders Boulevard. With this unfortunate circumstance, we are thankful that the passengers in the car did not sustain life-threatening injuries and that our crew was not injured. We are also thankful that the crew involved in the collision was able to immediately start rendering care to the passengers in the other vehicle.
Since that time, we have reviewed the statements and crash footage and determined that the driver of the fire apparatus acted with “due regard” as outlined in KRS 189.940 and consistent with state training standards. The apparatus’ emergency lights were illuminated, the siren was being continuously sounded during the response, and it slowed down as necessary for the safety of traffic allowing the fire truck to proceed with due regard through the intersection. We regret this unfortunate incident occurred as we hold the safety of all citizens as our highest priority.
–Paducah Fire Chief Steve Kyle