Monday, November 5, 2012
Gardner Fire Department Chief Terry Jensen was among the injured firefighters
this morning when an ambulance and a semi collided. "We had real heavy fog;
that's a major contributing factor," Grundy County Sheriff's Police Chief Deputy
Kevin Callahan said. The accident occurred around 7:30 a.m., south of Mazon
at the railroad tracks on Route 47 and Sucker Road. A train was stopped in the
intersection and the gates were down and lights were flashing. However, because
of the fog, cars were stopping suddenly to avoid hitting the cars in from of
them. The semi avoided hitting the car in front of it. However, the ambulance
could not. "They couldn't stop to avoid colliding with the back of semi,"
Callahan said. Jensen was driving the ambulance, Callahan said. In
addition to Callahan, either three or four patients were taken to the hospital,
including the original patient that was being transported by the
ambulance. Conditions of the patients, including Jensen, were not
available. Callahan could not confirm whether or not there would be tickets
issued in the crash.