Detroit Fire Department Vehicles Keep Crashing

Something interesting is happening with the Detroit Fire Department as three major accidents involving a firetruck and two ambulances, along with apparently a string of minor incidents, have happened in rapid succession. The community wants answers, but it appears officials are more interested in setting a controlled narrative.

Guy steals a roadside assistance truck, leads police on a long chase.

Fire vehicles by nature are large and heavy, so they’re not the sort of thing you want crashing into your car. People who live in and spend time in Detroit have good reason to be concerned. After all, innocent citizens have been involved in these crashes.

The scariest one was with the firetruck. It barreled right through a red light, smashed into a pickup truck, veered toward a corner at the intersection, and slammed into a large business signpost, knocking it down.

Local station WDIV dug into the latest ambulance crash, discovering something telling. There was an EMT in the back of the ambulance who was badly injured, breaking some ribs and his clavicle, plus suffering a collapsed lung.

But even more shocking was the revelation that the driver was a cadet who had little experience behind the wheel of an ambulance. The vehicle was responding to an emergency with lights and sirens on when the driver broke hard, causing the ambulance to slide into an intersection and hit an oncoming car.

However, the fire department commissioner emphasized how much training cadets go through first. It’s also worth noting the other two recent accidents didn’t involve cadets driving.  

Also concerning is how much fire emergency vehicles cost to repair or replace. With so many accidents happening lately, taxpayers are left to foot the bill. People have a right to ask questions when it seems practices by the department are ballooning operating expenses.

While he did try to downplay the recent crashes, the commissioner did admit he’s looking into whether or not department policies should be revised. Considering we don’t usually see so many emergency fire vehicles crashing, we think it’s safe to say something is going on and it needs to be fixed.

Image via Click On Detroit/YouTube