ISP releases accident report

May 15, 2008 10:42 am

— By TESA CULLI
tesa.culli@register-news.com
MT. VERNON — The Mt. Vernon Fire Department received an accident report from the Illinois State Police on Wednesday after the ISP reconstructed the scene of an accident last Thursday in which a ladder truck rolled over on North 42nd Street.
The two firefighter/paramedics in the truck received only minor injuries during the accident, which happened as they were responding to an EMS call at about 12:12 p.m. on May 8.
Because the accident involved a city vehicle, the ISP was called in to conduct an investigation and reconstruction of the accident scene. According to the report, the firetruck was traveling north on 42nd Street north of Wood-glen Lane when the driver swerved to avoid a vehicle by veering to the left of the roadway. The driver then lost control of the truck and skidded right into the ditch and struck the embankment.
MVFD Chief Jim Brown said both firefighter/paramedics are back on the job.
The ladder truck is estimated to be a total loss for the department.
However, Brown said an insurance adjuster looked at the truck on Tuesday, but since the specialized equipment isn’t his specialty, an assessor is expected to further inspect the damage to the truck later this week, Brown said.
Once a final determination is made to the actual costs of damage, Brown said the department will be able to determine whether to replace the truck.