Cameron Volunteer FD Water Tender Accident Fatality 2001

Firefighter Clifford White Jr. was the passenger in a 2,000-gallon tanker (tender) responding to a mutual aid brush fire. The driver of the tanker negotiated several turns and changes in grade during the initial response. As the driver attempted to slow down in a turn, the brake pedal went to the floor and no braking effort was accomplished. The driver tried to pump the pedal but was not able to slow the vehicle. The driver told Firefighter White to jump from the vehicle but Firefighter White refused and buckled his seat belt. The driver drove into a ditch on the side of the road in an attempt to slow the truck while he increased the engine RPMs in an attempt to get the truck into gear. The tanker came to the end of the ditch at a sharp turn and jumped back up onto the roadway. The apparatus crossed the roadway and then plunged down a 40-50 foot embankment. The truck flipped end over end; the chassis and the water tank separated. The driver and Firefighter White were trapped in the cab. An engine company was responding on the same incident and was nearly struck by the water tank as it rolled downhill. After witnessing the crash, the engine firefighters went to the aid of the trapped firefighters. Both firefighters were talking when they reached the truck but Firefighter White stopped breathing shortly thereafter. Both firefighters were extricated from the crushed cab. The driver was transported to the hospital by medical helicopter. The police report cited excessive speed and failure to maintain control as contributing factors in the crash. An inspection of the remains of the tanker found that the rear brakes were out of adjustment. Firefighter White died of internal trauma.