IMPERIAL, Mo. – A video shot on Jan. 22 showed a fire truck spinning out in an eastern Missouri neighborhood after an ice storm swept through the area.
Four firefighters with the Rock Community Fire Protection District were onboard when the incident occurred. They had gone out to the neighborhood to respond to a blue car that had slid into a fire hydrant.
The icy conditions that caused the accident then caused the fire truck to slide, spinning around nearly 360 degrees on a small road surrounded by homes.
For firefighter Kevin Steinmeyer, who was driving the engine, one thing remained on his mind as he maneuvered the gargantuan truck in the tight space.
“My biggest thought process was, ‘Try not to get anybody hurt. Try not to hurt anybody on my truck or in the neighborhood,’” he told FOX Weather on Friday.
DRIVING ON THE ICE AND DRIVING IN THE SNOW
He noted how many residents were at home due to the ice storm causing schools to close. This made him concerned that the truck could potentially wreck into a home with a family inside.
Inside the fire truck, Steinmeyer said, the crew remained quiet as he focused on maneuvering the fire truck. They noted that Steinmeyer himself was calm and quiet during the tense situation.
After the truck spun on the road, Steinmeyer said it “bounced” off of the blue car they were initially going to assist, and then he was able to gently stop the truck in a driveway.
“That was a lot of luck, I think,” he said. “All that touched was the front passenger side tire, so we didn’t touch any of the rest of the house with any part of the truck other than the tire. So there was no damage to the truck or to the house from it.”
Steinmeyer noted that the individual in the blue car was not in the vehicle. Rather, she was safe on the front porch of a nearby house, where others were filming the incident unfold.
“I’m just happy everybody came out safe,” he said. “It’s just a blessing that we were all able to walk away, and we didn’t hurt anybody in the process.”