LEXINGTON, Ky. — A new report says that there were numerous factors that may have impaired a firefighter’s vision during a fatal incident that killed a pedestrian last December.
An investigative report released Tuesday said ambient light that was reflecting off of the wet roads as well as the fire truck’s wet windshield could have impaired Firefighter Chris Presley’s vision.
Firefighter Presley accidentally ran over pedestrian Lauren Woodall Roady as she was legally crossing the street. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Herald-Leader reports that the report outlined several reasons for why Firefighter Presely may not have seen Roady and why Roady may not have heard the oncoming apparatus.
The truck did not have its sirens or lights on at the time of the incident.
Although Roady had the right of way and Firefighter Presley should have yielded to her, he said that he did not see Roady while making the turn.
“He felt like he ‘ran over a speed bump’ with his back tires but saw nothing,” the report said. “He looked in the mirror and saw ‘something lying in the road’ then immediately stopped Engine 9.”
The report says the rainy weather, fog, and other pedestrians as well as Roady’s dark clothing and the truck’s blind spots may be partly to blame for the incident. The report also said the nearby Christmas tree lights and traffic lights backlit the truck’s windshield and may have obscured Firefighter Presley’s view.
“The light in the area ... did not illuminate the intersection effectively and other light sources acted more as distractions or impairments,” the report said.
No drugs or alcohol were found in Firefighter Presley’s system and only a small amount was found in Roady’s. No drugs were found in her system, according to the Herald-Leader. Neither of them were on their cell phones either.
Police say Roady was wearing hearing aids when she was struck, but did not give specifics on her possible hearing impairment.
“Test results showed Mrs. Roady’s hearing aids were adjusted to provide the most amplification to mid-level sound ranges,” the report said. “For a complete understanding of Mrs. Roady’s hearing, it would be necessary to compare the hearing aid settings to her audiology testing. This was not done as her audiology test was not requested.”
Firefighter Presley’s department says there have been no policy changes since the incident, but they say they also haven’t had a chance to look over the report.
There appears to be no litigation as a result of the incident.
Firefighter Presley is still on paid administrative leave.