Ga. fire truck collides with van

No one hurt in the collision, trooper says

By Becky Purser

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — A Houston County fire truck was responding to a call of a "burn to the face" Wednesday morning when the driver attempted to do a U-turn on Ga. 247 and collided with a van, said a state trooper who investigated the crash.

Trooper 1st Class Brian Abney of the Georgia State Patrol said no one was hurt in the 9:45 a.m. collision.

Carmen VanCauwenbergh, 46, of Byron, was transported by ambulance to the Houston Medical Center to be checked out as a precaution, the trooper said.

She could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.

According to the state trooper, here's what happened:

Houston County firefighter Nick White, 21, was driving the fire truck south on Ga. 247 when the 911 call was dispatched. He activated the vehicle's emergency lights.

The fire truck, which was in the right-hand southbound lane, moved into the turn lane to turn around and head north on Ga. 247 to respond to the emergency.

The van's driver was in the left southbound lane and thought the fire truck was moving into the turn lane to turn onto Booth Road, she told the trooper.

The fire truck and van collided during the fire truck's U-turn.

A fire truck may make a U-turn in responding to a call, Abney said, but the driver should exercise due regard. White told the trooper he did not see the van.

No citations were expected, Abney said,

Houston County sheriff's Sgt. Guy Fussell said the emergency call was in response to an incident at an auto parts and salvage shop where a forklift battery that was being recharged exploded and spewed acid on a worker.

"He's fine," Fussell said of the worker.

Co-workers at Central Georgia Auto Salvage at 11128 Ga. 247 N. were able to wash the acid off the man.

"He was very lucky," Fussell said.

Brandon McCarra, 20, was taken to a medical clinic by a fellow employee to be checked out as a precaution after the incident, Fussell said.

Rondall Dykes, the shop owner, said McCarra was discovered on the floor near the fork lift and that the incident looked a lot worse than it turned out to be.

McCarra escaped being covered with the acid, Dykes said. The force of the explosion caused him to topple from the fork lift, the owner said.

McCarra was back at work Wednesday afternoon, his boss said.