Tag Archives: apparatus accident

The Missouri Court of Appeals has ruled that death benefits for volunteer firefighters should be based upon the average wages of “similar” career firefighters in Missouri, and not the value of the benefits received by “similar” volunteers. The case was brought by Susan Hayes, after the Missouri LIRC awarded her $40 per week in benefits following the death of her husband, Russell.

Read More »

The Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled that a trial judge erred when he dismissed a wrongful death lawsuit brought against the City of Detroit by the husband of a woman who died in a crash with a responding DFD engine. India D. Sullivan died several months after the December 4, 2017 crash.

Read More »

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for October 30, 2023, Brad and Curt discuss the discipline of three officers in the Casper Fire EMS Department; an Ohio firefighter charged with vehicular homicide following a fatal apparatus accident; a Florida ...

Read More »

A Columbus firefighter is facing vehicular homicide charges for an apparatus accident that occurred last July while he was driving an engine on I-270. Tyler J. Conners, 25, reportedly was driving an engine at slow speed on the highway and was seeking to utilize an emergency turnaround when the apparatus was struck from behind.

Read More »

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for October 23, 2023, Brad and Curt discuss a lawsuit by an Iowa firefighter injured when the engine on which he was riding collided with a piece of farm machinery being driven by ...

Read More »

An Iowa firefighter who was seriously injured in an apparatus accident in 2022, has filed suit against the driver and owner of a piece of farm equipment. Matthew Fisher, a firefighter with the Durant Fire Department, filed suit earlier this year naming Kent Reimers, Liqui-Grow Trioak, Liqui-Grow of Traer, Twin State, Inc., and Employers Mutual as defendants.

Read More »

The Fourteenth District Court of Appeals of Texas has dismissed a lawsuit brought by the driver of a car that was struck by a Houston engine that was backing up. Emmitt Wilson filed the suit in state court naming the city and firefighter Jason Carroll as defendants

Read More »

The New York Court of Appeals has ruled that a fire department cannot be held liable for the negligence of one of its firefighters through vicarious liability when the driver could not be held liable directly for negligence. The ruling clarifies a contentious issue in New York involving the interpretation of conflicting laws, and is largely viewed as a victory for fire departments.

Read More »

A Colorado Springs firefighter has been charged with careless driving following the death of a woman last month. Firefighter Wesley Cosgrove was driving a brush unit when he ran over a woman who was laying on the ground in Dorchester Park.

Read More »

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for November 14, 2022, Brad and Curt discuss the impact of the Massachusetts Human Resource Division to cancel all upcoming fire promotional examinations; a wildland firefighter who drove a US Forest Service engine ...

Read More »

It seems like each week I am only able to scratch the surface of the fire law news. This week is no exception, but I wanted to point out two additional noteworthy cases. The first involves the settlement of the city’s portion of the Kansas City, Missouri fatal apparatus accident case. The second case involves another firefighter being arrested while engaged in the performance of his duties by an overzealous cop.

Read More »

A volunteer firefighter in Virginia who was facing reckless driving charges following an apparatus accident, has agreed to plead guilty to a reduced charge of improper driving. Conor Wright, 25, was driving a Front Royal Fire and Rescue engine back to quarters at the time.

Read More »

In this episode, Brad and Curt discuss the third lawsuit arising out of the Kansas City (MO) triple fatal apparatus accident; the suspension of a Pennsylvania volunteer fire company over racist remarks; a Houston investigation into a social media post ...

Read More »

A third lawsuit has been filed against Kansas City arising out of a triple fatal accident last December involving Pumper 19. The accident killed Jennifer San Nicolas, Michael Elwood, and Tami Knight.

Read More »