Robert Marchant
New Haven Register, Conn.
(TNS)
Jul. 1—GREENWICH — For a crew of tow-truck operators at a bad accident scene, it was a night they will never forget after a large truck slammed into a Greenwich fire department pumper on Interstate 95.
A tractor-trailer overturned on I-95 southbound near Exit 4 late Wednesday night, and Fulvio Tamburro and a team of five workers from Lone Star Repair Service of Stamford were trying to remove the damaged truck from I-95 early Thursday.
“We were there working the accident scene, and the next thing we knew, we heard screeching tires — deep and loud — like a loud howl, then a bang and crash,” he said. “Then we saw smoke and steam, the fire truck shoved over, glass flying, people yelling. Such a surprise.”
A car carrier slammed into the Greenwich pumper, injuring three firefighters, and kept moving forward, recalled Tamburro, the owner of the towing business.
“We ran for cover. It seemed like a freight train, I didn’t know when it was going to stop,” Tamburro said.
The pumper was positioned to block the right shoulder and right lane for the tow-truck workers to carry out their job. The engine blunted the impact of the tractor-trailer.
“Thank God for that fire engine,” Tamburro said. “Without it, it would have been devastating. We were next in line.”
He said he was grateful for the actions of the firefighters and other emergency responders at the scene. Tamburro also said he hoped motorists would gain a renewed understanding about the hazards of driving near emergency vehicles and tow trucks on the highway — and slow down and move over.
Tabmurro said he and the other workers were shaken by the dangerous situation as they worked through the night at the crash scene. The president of the towing business said he has had a few anxious moments working as a tow-truck operator in the past, “but never like this. This was a first of its kind, and hopefully the last,” he said.
Three firefighters who were in the truck when it was struck by the tractor-trailer were treated and released from Stamford Hospital on Thursday.
The Greenwich Fire Department released a statement thanking the public for their support. “The GFD would like to thank all who reached out with their support and concern for our injured members. All three have been released from the hospital and we wish them a speedy recovery. We also thank and commend all of our first responder coworkers who responded and showed true professionalism in this very difficult situation,” the department statement said.
The driver of the car carrier was given a misdemeanor summons for driving an unregistered motor vehicle, failure to display plates, failure to maintain minimum insurance, failure to slow down or move over for an emergency vehicle and traveling too fast for conditions, state police said.
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