Firefighter struck by truck
A Clintonville firefighter was struck by a semitruck Thursday morning on Interstate 80 just across the border from Butler County.
“We're praying for our member and his family,” said Clintonville Fire Chief Grant Rea.
Rea could not comment further on the firefighter's condition or about the incident.
Firefighters who were at the scene said a medical helicopter was initially called for the firefighter, but poor weather conditions made it impossible to land. The firefighter was instead taken by ambulance to Grove City Medical Center.
According to a state police report, firefighter Justin Williams, 25, was providing traffic control for a multivehicle accident on the I-80 bridge, which spans the Allegheny River.
Police said Mark Gilliland, 28, of Mercer, lost control of his Peterbilt semitruck on the snow-covered road. According to police, the truck slid into a guardrail on the south berm before hitting Williams.
“The pedestrian is believed to have sustained non-life-threatening injuries,” the report said.The report said charges against the driver are undetermined at this time.In a Facebook post, the Emlenton Fire Department wrote, “Please let this be a reminder to slow down when you see emergency vehicles or are driving in inclement weather. Please keep this firefighter, his family, friends and our brothers and sisters at Station 3 in your thoughts and prayers in the days ahead.”According to PA 511, the first accident was reported at 6:46 a.m., and closed traffic between exits 45 and 42, and it was for this incident that Williams was directing traffic.According to Emlenton Fire Chief Trevor Hile, his crew was called initially for a one-vehicle accident near the 44 mile marker in the westbound lanes.“Shortly after dispatch, we were notified that there were additional crashes in the area,” Hile said. “We had around a dozen vehicles involved.”Hile said there were several patients treated at the scene. One person was trapped in their vehicle and needed help getting out.In all, four patients from crashed vehicles were taken to the hospital by ambulance.Hile said crews were at the scene for more than five hours, and a number of assisting departments were instrumental in the effort.Those departments included St. Petersburg, Clintonville and Parker fire departments; Emlenton, Knox and Superior ambulance services; and units from Clarion and Venango county state police barracks.Hile said PennDOT personnel and Hovis Truck Service were also helpful in getting the scene cleared, despite difficult weather conditions.“It was a total white-out,” Hile said of the snowfall at the scene.
The National Weather Service of Pittsburgh issued a special weather statement at 6:31 a.m. Thursday, warning motorists to slow down and increase their distance between themselves and other vehicles.“Visibility may be one mile or less in some areas, and icy spots may have formed in areas where snow has compacted on the road,” the alert said.The alert was in effect until 8 a.m. and applied to Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Indiana, Jefferson, Mercer and Venango counties.Hile said inclement weather creates an even more dangerous environment for emergency personnel as they establish scenes. He said the initial stages of any crash are always the most dangerous because traffic control is still being developed.“Our message to the public from this is we strongly and respectfully ask that when you're approaching emergency vehicles, you move over and slow down, especially in inclement weather conditions,” Hile said.
