Trending Topics

‘This is going to hurt': N.C. FF recalls being struck by car at MVC

Dashcam footage shows the moment a car hit a Cotton firefighter as he worked a crash scene in Cumberland County — sending him flying

CUMBERLAND COUNTY, N.C. — Dashcam video captured the moment a car struck a firefighter in Cumberland County while working at the scene of a motor vehicle collision, the Cotton Volunteer Fire Department reported.

The initial crash occurred at approximately 8:00 a.m. on May 2 on U.S. Highway 301 North. While first responders were working, a passing vehicle struck another car, a fire engine and Cotton Firefighter Waymon Hudson, WRAL reported.

“I looked at the car, and I remember saying ‘this is going to hurt,’” Hudson said. “I saw the sky, the road and I was lying down on the road looking at everyone looking down on me.”

The video also shows first responders rushing to aid firefighter Hudson, who was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He later shared that he broke five ribs and expects a 6-to-8 week recovery. In a Facebook post, Hudson wrote, “This was completely preventable. A lot of lives could have been lost here.”

According to the N.C. State Highway Patrol, the driver was cited for not having a valid license and failing to reduce speed. North Carolina’s move-over law requires drivers to slow down or switch lanes when approaching stopped emergency vehicles.


Your apparatus is only one tool of many to help increase safety
Trending
Union leaders claim that department directives limited the deployment of Austin firefighters during the deadly Kerr County flooding
Out of the 10 companies with the Fall River Fire Department, only two are staffed at the national standard of four firefighters, IAFF President Edward Kelly said
More than 50 Fall River firefighters, including 30 who were off-duty, responded as residents were trapped inside Gabriel House
One firefighter was treated for heat-related illness while another sustained a more severe injury requiring hospital care as the Green Fire grew past 10,000 acres

Bill Carey is the associate editor for FireRescue1.com and EMS1.com. A former Maryland volunteer firefighter, sergeant, and lieutenant, Bill has written for several fire service publications and platforms. His work on firefighter behavioral health garnered a 2014 Neal Award nomination. His ongoing research and writings about line-of-duty death data is frequently cited in articles, presentations, and trainings. Have a news tip? He can be reached at news@lexipol.com.