Submitted by Aiken Jacobsen on
A 43-year-old firefighter from San Francisco was arrested approximately two hours after he was reported to have driven a truck right into a motorcycle rider. Police accused him of being intoxicated at the time of the accident. As is often the case with motorcycle accidents, the bike rider suffered serious injuries, including a punctured lung and a number of broken ribs.
The incident took place at approximately 11:34 p.m. on a Saturday night. The ladder truck, which had its sirens blaring and its emergency lights flashing, was responding to a false report of a fire. The fire truck struck the motorcyclist in an intersection, throwing him 75 feet. While he was hospitalized with his injuries, doctors reported the motorcyclist would likely survive his injuries.
The firefighter, a veteran of more than two decades with the fire department, was immediately suspended without pay. Possible charges include hit-and-run and felony DUI. Police released him after he posted bail set by a court at $65,000.
Investigators stated the firefighter did initially stop the truck after the crash, but then drove off after he was told he would have to submit to alcohol and drug screening and give a detailed statement to police. His blood alcohol level subsequently was allegedly recorded as 0.13, well in excess of the allowable legal limit of 0.08.
Drug abuse and intoxicated driving are frequently the causes of many accidents injuring motorists, passengers and pedestrians. Following such an accident, injured persons and their families should consult with an experienced personal injury attorney. In instances such as this, where the person who was responsible for the accident was "on the clock", the employer, as well as the driver, may be responsible for the damages in a civil lawsuit.
Source:
San Francisco Chronicle, "SF firefighter could face DUI, hit-run case" Jason Van Derbeken, Jul. 01, 2013
