A 45-year-old FF/EMT is in stable condition after a Blue Mound EMT accidentally backed over her with a truck Tuesday. Karla Minor, a South Macon Fire Protection District volunteer firefighter, was walking on the shoulder of the road next to a truck as it was backing up. The truck struck Minor at a low rate of speed and partially ran over her.
The South Macon and Blue Mound fire districts were responding to a request for medical assistance off Illinois 48 in Boody. Blue Mound Fire Chief John Holmgren said the truck was a rescue squad, a large pickup truck with no firefighting equipment on it. He was not on the scene, but he said he believed the truck did not fully run over Minor. "I believe the wheels may have been up against her pelvis," Holmgren said. "The truck was not on top of her."
The incident occurred shortly before 11:45 a.m., when sheriff’s deputies and the Decatur Ambulance Service were summoned to the scene. Minor was transported to St. Mary’s Hospital before being airlifted to Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana. A nurse there confirmed Wednesday that Minor was in stable condition.
Ed Aukamp is assistant fire chief for the South Macon Fire Protection District, where Minor has been a volunteer firefighter for more than 10 years.
He wasn’t at the accident but met Minor at St. Mary’s Hospital after she was injured and Wednesday spoke to her husband about her condition. Doctors believe Minor has a fractured tailbone and possibly a fractured pelvis, he said, and they were running other tests.
"It’s going to take some time," he said. "She’s pretty beat up."
Schneider, Holmgren and Aukamp all characterized the incident as an accident. Holmgren said the EMT who was driving the truck is an experienced member of the fire department.
