Two Steelville Fire Protection District volunteers were injured on Saturday after the engine they were driving rolled as they were in route to a vehicle fire on Sig Bass Road.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crash Report, the driver of the vehicle, Dalton Ertl, 21, ran off the right side of the roadway, over-corrected, and ran off the left side of the road. The vehicle overturned and came to rest on the passenger side, partially ejecting the passenger, Daniel Scott, 26. The accident took place on Highway 19 South near Seven Cedars Road.
Ertl, who sustained moderate injuries, was taken by ambulance to Missouri Baptist Hospital in Sullivan. Scott was seriously injured and air lifted by Air Evac to St. John’s Hospital in Creve Coeur. While the official news release from the fire district declined to release the names of the firefighters involved, citing HIPPA and the fire district’s privacy protection policy, it reported that both were treated and released later in the day.
SFPD Board member Rich Counts said that the passenger (Scott) had been partially trapped under the vehicle, but that some passersby had hooked onto the truck and pulled it out to free him. He also reported that neither of the two even had broken bones, but that the passenger’s head injuries had been concerning and that’s why he was air lifted out.
Counts also stated that the Highway Patrol estimated the truck was going approximately 45 to 50 miles per hour when the accident occurred, a figure corroborated by an eyewitness who was following the truck. He also noted that the fire district has documented driving training for the driver (Ertl) from the previous fire department he had assisted.
The news release also reported extensive damage to the fire apparatus, while the MSHP report stated that the 1990 Ford Boardman Fire Truck was totaled. Counts stated that it was probably the oldest engine in service in the district and that the Eureka fire department had immediately donated a loaner truck and provided training on Saturday for five Steelville firefighters to operate the vehicle.
The vehicle fire was extinguished by the SFPD personnel who were already on site when the accident occurred, although both Cuba and Bourbon fire departments responded to assist as well.
The SFPD expressed appreciation to surrounding fire departments for their assistance during the incident. The news release stated, “These departments have provided manpower and equipment to help us keep our community safe during this incident.”
