THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, June 19, 1996 TAG: 9606190380
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JUNE ARNEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: 51 lines
A Norfolk man was killed Tuesday afternoon when his pickup truck collided on Great Bridge Boulevard with a fire engine traveling the opposite way with siren and lights on.
The victim - Charles Eugene Rogers, 34, of the 9600 block of Second Bay Street in East Ocean View - was killed instantly when he apparently tried to pass a car and pulled out in front of an oncoming fire engine, said Chesapeake police spokeswoman Elizabeth Jones.
One firefighter on the engine suffered minor back injuries and was treated at Chesapeake General Hospital. Three other firefighters were not hurt.
The accident happened shortly after 1 p.m. in the 600 block of Great Bridge Blvd. when Rogers, traveling eastbound in his pickup, pulled out in front of Engine 42, heading in the opposite direction from Fire Station 4.
Rogers worked at Chesapeake Used Auto Parts for about four years and was driving a company truck at the time of the crash, according to a store employee.
Police are investigating the accident.
This was the first fatality in Chesapeake involving an emergency vehicle in many years. Fire Marshal Thomas H. Cooke said the last incidents he could recall were in the early 1960s. One such accident involved a medic unit in Western Branch, the other involved a fire truck in Great Bridge, he said.
The last accident with injuries involving a fire truck occurred about nine months ago in front of the Lowe's store on Battlefield Boulevard, he said.
``The firefighters and EMS personnel all are trained in defensive driving,'' Cooke said. ``You just do the best you can out there. People tend to take emergency vehicles for granted. You get people who panic, do erratic things, ignore you, kids who chase after you.''
While many people ignore flashing lights and sirens, they also expect help to arrive at an emergency scene as quickly as possible, Cooke said. ``If it's their house, you drove too slow, and if it's their neighbor's house, you most certainly drove too fast,'' he said. ``We know that going in.''
Cooke said he has had his share of close calls in more than 25 years with the department. He reminded drivers to slow down, pull over and stop when they hear sirens and see red lights. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
STEVE EARLEY/The Virginian-Pilot
Charles Eugene Rogers of Norfolk was killed instantly when he
apparently tried to pass a car and pulled his truck in front of a
fire engine on Great Bridge Boulevard in Chesapeake, a police
spokeswoman said.
KEYWORDS: ACCIDENT TRAFFIC CHESAPEAKE FIRE DEPARTMENT
FATALITY by CNB