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Report: Damaged cables, pulley caused aerial failure

The department that previously owned the truck said it tried six times to fix problems with the ladder and extension cables

GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Frayed cables and a defective pulley are at the heart of a 62-page report detailing what caused three firefighters to fall 40 feet to the ground, as the ladder truck they were training on collapsed.

11alive reported that investigators believe damage to one of the cables existed “prior to the accident” and that the cable’s pulley was “worn, damaged or improperly manufactured.” In one picture included in the report, you can see the cable’s pulley is too small, and unable to fit the cable that’s supposed to run through it.

The department that previously owned the truck said it tried six times to fix problems with the ladder and extension cables. They eventually lost all confidence in the truck, due its catastrophic and consistent failures, according to the report.

The truck manufacturer, Sutphen, agreed to buy back the truck. Three months later, records show it sold the truck to Hall County, with the promise it would be restored to factory specifications, according to the report.

Hall County says it was told the truck was returned to Sutphen due to a “dispute involving maintenance issues” and that the truck had never “had a design failure,” according to the report.

The county now says both of those statements were false, but has still agreed to settle instead of take the company to court.

An internal investigation summary concluded, “there is no evidence that anyone with Hall County had prior knowledge of any prior equipment failures involving Sutphen vehicles, thus decisions to move forward with the purchase of the vehicle were made in good faith.”

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