Vehicle Rollover in the Dust 2015

Three firefighters are traveling in a crew cab pickup truck in a westerly direction along a dusty and dry dirt road with some gravel and narrow conditions. Their vehicle is the third in a column of vehicles leaving the Three Sisters Fire during a shift change. There are approximately ten more vehicles traveling behind them. As the driver negotiates a turn, the vehicle suddenly enters a large dust cloud. The driver says that conditions quickly become similar to that of a “white out”. Almost all visibility is lost. At this time, the vehicle is near the right side of the road on a section of road that is narrower than the road has been up to this point. Additionally, the road bank along this stretch is nearly vertical and the edge of the road here is soft and lacks stability. As the vehicle’s tires run along the edge of the right shoulder, the soft material gives way. The vehicle rolls off the road, ending up on its top. Its airbags deploy. A portion of the vehicle comes to rest on the posts of a barbed wire fence at the base of the bank. Thankfully, there are no injuries.

RLS, Driving, Vehicle Incident or Accident