No injuries in Wedneday fire engine wreck

Friday, June 12, 2009 3:00 AM  |  Printer friendly version | E-mail to a friend | Staff report

LANDIS — No one was injured when a fire engine and a pickup collided Wednesday evening.

The accident occurred as a storm producing heavy lightning swept across the county. The fire engine was responding to a call to assist Bostian Heights at a reported structure fire caused by a lightning strike on Old Beatty Ford Road.

The accident occurred at U.S. 29 and Old Beatty Ford Road.

The impact cut the right front tire. Landis Fire Chief Reed Linn said the truck was temporarily out of service while the tire was replaced.

Colin Patterson, a fire engineer, was operating the truck and had two other firefighters on board.

Lt. Steve Benfield of the Landis Police Department said the fire truck was going east across U.S. 29 on Old Beatty Ford Road when a 1977 Chevrolet pickup driven by Eugene Cannon Harris, 72, of 529 Westside Circle, China Grove, ran into the right front of the fire truck.

The wreck occurred during the storm and in heavy rain.

Harris told the officer that by the time he saw the fire truck, it was was too late to stop.

"He tried to miss it, but slid on the wet pavement and went into the truck," Harris said.

Harris was not injured, but his pickup was heavily damaged.