| MVC with Fire Results in Fatality in Catoosa County CATOOSA COUNTY, GA – The early morning calm was shattered at about 8:00 AM, Sunday, November 15, 2009, when the Catoosa County 9-1-1 Center received a call reporting a vehicle upside down, on fire, with entrapment. The accident was reported in the 3800 block of Highway 41 near the intersection of New Summit Hill Road. Catoosa Engine 3 and Engine 11 responded along with the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Department, medic units from Angel EMS, and the Georgia State Patrol. Engine 3 arrived to find a Mitsubishi Eclipse upside down in a ditch about 20 feet down a steep hill. There was heavy fire in the vehicle and they confirmed entrapment. Making the situation worse was a broken power pole with live lines down across the car and heavy smoke making visibility very limited. Firefighters immediately pulled two attack lines and began to put water on the fire. When Engine 1 arrived they established a positive water source from a hydrant about 100 feet away and began attempting to reach the victim. Unfortunately it became apparent rather quickly that there was no chance for the person inside to survive. Once the fire had been extinguished and it was confirmed that the driver had not survived, the Georgia State Patrol began their investigation into the crash. The body was removed, placed into an Angel EMS ambulance and transported to the coroner’s office. The exact cause of the accident has yet to be determined. Preliminary reports are that the vehicle was northbound on Highway 41 at a high rate of speed when the driver, a young male, failed to negotiate a curve in the roadway. The vehicle left the roadway, became airborne, hit a wooden power pole slicing it into three pieces, struck the other side of the ditch, rolled over and burst into flames. The vehicle traveled almost 200 feet from the paved portion of the roadway. Highway 41 was closed in both directions by the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Department for approximately one hour for firefighter safety and the investigation. |
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