Copyright 2006 The Blade
The Blade, Toledo, Ohio
Distributed by Knight/Ridder Tribune News Service 
 
By CHRISTINA HALL
The Blade (Toledo, Ohio)

TOLEDO, Ohio — It's a feeling four Toledo firefighters won't ever forget: their fire engine bouncing down Bancroft Street on the way to a blaze in West Toledo. "I remember thinking, 'I have no idea what's going on,' and I was wondering when it was going to be over with," said Brian Schoen, a 13-year fire department veteran. Moments later came the crashes into a pole and a tree.

Then, eerie silence. A year ago yesterday, Mr. Schoen and his colleagues aboard Engine 7 survived a crash at Ashland Avenue that totaled their rig and is one of the worst accidents in recent memory involving a city fire vehicle. The firefighters have returned to work. One is on light duty because of a fractured leg from the accident. The rig, minus its mangled cab, is at the fire garage in North Toledo and is cannibalized for parts for other trucks.

Though the city received an unexpected payment of $105,269 through its catastrophic loss policy, a new engine hasn't been purchased. "That in no way will pay for a replacement engine," Deputy Fire Chief Bob Metzger said. "We would like to get them into a new vehicle, but the purchase of a new vehicle is a budget issue." He said the money from the claim is in the city's general fund and has an account code attached to it related to the fire department.

A new engine costs between $300,000 and $315,000, said Jim Edelman, fire maintenance officer. Station 7 still uses the department's best reserve engine that it was given after the accident. But the 1995 rig has more than 140,000 miles and requires a lot of maintenance, Mr. Edelman said. Firefighter Tom Marciniak, who is in his 32nd year, was driving Engine 7 westbound on Bancroft, following the station's heavy rescue squad to a fire on Violet Road. The rigs usually travel about 500 feet apart. Marcedes McDuffey pulled her westbound car over for the squad, but told police she didn't hear or see the engine.

The uninsured driver pulled away from the curb and collided with the rig in its most vulnerable spot, the wheel area, disabling the steering and air line for the air brakes. Her car clung to the engine about 15 feet before the rear passenger tire hit a curb, knocking the car off the engine. The firefighters didn't know her car was involved. "It was very, very quick," Mr. Marciniak, 56, said. "I don't think any of us saw it coming," said Lt. Michael Duran, 47, who rode in the front seat. "I heard the initial impact of metal on metal and then [remember] taking the ride. It was like a bronco." Mr. Schoen, 35, caught a glimpse of the pole and the tree.

Lieutenant Duran, a 12-year veteran filling in at Station 7 that day, recalled the explosions of crashing into each object. After the impact, Mr. Marciniak saw the lieutenant inches away from him, lying in shards of broken windshield glass. Unlike his colleagues, Lieutenant Duran couldn't free himself. His first thoughts were that he couldn't go on an anniversary trip with his wife to Cancun the next week with broken legs. He wiggled his toes and moved his ankles.

In the end, his trip would be postponed a year. He would spend six of the last 12 months off his feet, then using a walker, crutches, and cane. He has an eight-inch plate and 15 screws in his leg. After the crash, Mr. Schoen radioed for help and walked around the rig, trying to find a first aid kit for his back-seat colleague, Matt Viertlbeck, who had a gash on his head. "All I remember saying is, 'Is my eye still there?' " recalled Mr. Viertlbeck, 30, who has a scar above his left eye from seven stitches.

Firefighter Jerry Saunders, who was driving the heavy rescue squad, remembers looking in his rear-view mirror and thinking the engine was rolling over. He turned around. "The first thing we thought was [the lieutenant] was dead and Tom was pretty badly injured," he said. Then he and others, including Mr. Schoen, began to extricate the trapped lieutenant. "We're not used to being the victims," said Mr. Schoen, who added that he doesn't blame Ms. McDuffey. Ms. McDuffey, who also was hurt, was convicted of failure to yield the right of way of public safety.