The Social Network & Community JUST for Firefighters
Massachusetts Woman Dies After Being Struck By Hose
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.
An 82-year-old Somerville woman struck by a fire hose that had come loose from a Cambridge fire engine that was responding to call has died.
Cambridge police says Gertrude King died Thursday morning at Massachusetts General Hospital, two days after she was struck behind the knees by the hose while standing on a median strip in Central Square to allow the fire engine to pass.
Police say the hose had somehow become dislodged and was dragging behind the truck. King was struck late Tuesday morning as the engine turned a corner.
Cambridge police and the Middlesex district attorney's office are investigating and are asking witnesses to come forward.
The Cambridge Fire Department is reviewing inspection logs as part of the investigation.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
An 82-year-old Somerville woman struck by a fire hose that had come loose from a Cambridge fire engine that was responding to call has died.
Police say the hose had somehow become dislodged and was dragging behind the truck. King was struck late Tuesday morning as the engine turned a corner.
Cambridge police and the Middlesex district attorney's office are investigating and are asking witnesses to come forward.
The Cambridge Fire Department is reviewing inspection logs as part of the investigation.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Eng Co 4 on
-
I can't ever remember this being a problem when we used
to rack hose with an accordian load. But since people have
become lazy and prefer to use that flat sloppy load for the
supply line, this seems to be a regular occurence. The hose
tends to not have any "grab" and slips out of the back at
the slightest accelleration.
If you rack the hose accordian style properly, it takes the
same amount of time, lays out just as easily and stays put
in the hosebed MUCH better! PLUS you can actually get
MORE hose in a given bed!
Sometimes change is NOT good! Just my 2c.
Also, there must be a little more to this story as the
"mechanism of injury" doesn't seem to be, in itself, a
life-threatening injury. I wonder if she sustained other
injuries as a result of this? Just curious.
-
Permalink Reply by Jim Tilbe on
-
Perhaps cotton jacketed hose didn't slip out as easily as synthetic jacketed hose?
-
Permalink Reply by Joe Stoltz on
-
Engine 4, the account I read of this accident stated the woman was struck by the nozzle on the end of the hose. It appeared from the description to be a cross-lay line.
We've all had this happen from time to time - a gust of wind catches a fold of hose and flips the nozzle over the side, to name but one possibility. Little wonder why hose bed covers are becoming mandatory.
As far as MOI is concerned - remember that the woman was 82. People of that age are much more fragile than younger folks. Being swept off her feet by the line and possibly struck by the nozzle - what might be minor injuries to a 30 year old could be major trauma for the geriatric patient.
It would be wise not to condemn anyone's hose loading practices until the investigation is complete.
-
Permalink Reply by John Rulli Jr. on
-
We use bungee cords to hold our cross lays. Safety first! What a shame RIP
-
-
Joe Stolz;
RE: MOI...I was thinking that she possibly sustained other injuries
such as a head injury from falling to the ground or whatever from
being swept off of her feet. Remember, the "media" often doesn't
put out all of the details. And, yes, "fragility" does come into play.
As for my comment regarding hose loading, it was more of an
industry-wide 'swat' as the flat load seems to be an industry standard
now vs other loads. And it was adapted because of "ease of use"
which translates into "it's too much trouble to re-rack it that way".
Not condemning the particular FD.
Oh...and to the other poster...Cotton-jacketed hose and synthetic-
jacketed hose slide out equally as easily. Been there, done that.
And condolences and prayers to the family as they lost a valuable
family member.
-
Permalink Reply by Mike Schlags (Captain Busy) Retd on
-
Two words could have prevented this...
GOLDEN CIRCLE...
Trucks are trucks... so is the drivers license to operate them and the rules regarding operation. This includes a pre-trip inspection, which I call the Golden Circle.
This is a sad lesson as to why it is so important before moving your apparatus to take a lap around the rig, called the "Golden Circle", confirming that all doors are closed, equipment is secured and this includes straps and hose bed tarps. To not do so can have some tragic consequences. This should serve as a lesson and reminder for all of us to take the time to checkout your engine, the equipment and the surrounding area before moving the vehicle.
Anyone who drives a fire truck needs to follow this golden rule. I do not have access to a good example of a vehicle pre-trip inspection for a fire engine but I did find one for a tanker truck pretrip inspection.
Engineers should also adopt the mental philosophy that they will always drive forward safely, will turn left or right, looking both ways, driving defensively and will back up, but only after a backup man is provided and clearly visible in the rear view mirror. Aside from the firefighter hopping out of the engine to back you up, it is always the drivers responsibility to do the Golden Circle, not the firefighter or anyone else.
CBz
-
Permalink Reply by Reg Mathis on
-
A comment on the MOI of this incident, I would suspect that if the hose was whipped around the corner and caught her behind her knees, that she was immediately upended(can you say "Ass over teakettle"?) and suffered massive BFT to her head and neck. And has been pointed out, at 82, she's gonna be pretty brittle.
Even though it was a bizarre accident, I know as a D/O, I would be looking in to some serious counseling.
TCSS
Reg
-
Permalink Reply by Trainer on
-
I'm sure NFPA standards state that all hose either be secured or covered. Had an incoming MA lose 300' in the middle of the highway once and we have ruined our share of hose.
-
-
I think this is an exceptional idea. Who better to come up with a design to prevent hose from accidentally leaving the hosebed than a veteran fireifghter like yourself who just so happens to know how to do apholstery work? I hope folks take you up on your generous offer to share with them a means to safely secure hose with the use of an installed quick-release safety netting.
CBz
-
-
Ouch......
-
Permalink Reply by John L. VanAuken on
-
First off my condolences to the family in there time of loss. I myself have to agree with several of the posts, I have myself seen hoses come off of trucks, even once that I know of on our dept. We all are just as guilty of not checken everything out before we leave the station. I feel that who ever is driveing should quikly check to make sure all is ok before leaving the station. I also feel that the safty strap is a great idea at least to hold the nossle from falling off the truck. I also feel that the walk around is even more important after the call and returning to the station, to make sure all is on the truck that came off the truck and doors are closed. Our preconnects that are our main attack lines are behind the cab and laid from side to side. Our preconnects and hose lays in the back are straped down with quik release motorcycle straps. Ither way I am curious as to how long the hose was draging and how the driver did not notice it if he was doing proper mirror checks.
-
Permalink Reply by Ron Ayotte on
-
I work with a few Cambridge firefighters who are instructors and support personnel at the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy.
The victim in this tragic accident suffered massive traumatic injuries to her legs.
© 2024 Created by Firefighter Nation WebChief.
Powered by
