June 13, 1924: Firefighters narrowly escape injury when hose truck crashes
The crew of Edmonton’s No.2 fire station had a “miraculous escape from death or serious injury” after their hose truck slammed into the High Level Bridge on the way to a call.
The vehicle was going 24 kilometres per hour when it skidded on the turnout at the south end of the bridge (there was two-way traffic then), crashing into one of the massive steel pillars.
“The front wheels swung clear of the corner, but the heavy machine slid around and hit the beam broadside on, snapping off the right rear wheel and reducing all the gear on the right side to a mass of splintered woodwork and twisted metal,” the Journal story said.
Apart from a few scratches and bruises, the entire crew escaped uninjured.
“Driver Dave McDonald had an especially narrow squeak, the levers on which he had in his hand a second before the crash being ripped from the side of the motor like so many matchsticks as one of the driver’s companions jerked him over to the left side of the seat. Some idea of the shock can be gained by the fact that the crash shook the bridge to such an extent that the lights on a standard fully 10 feet from the pillar were shattered as though hit by a missile,” the story said.
The bridge deck was dry, but the roadway was slippery at the turn from recent rain. McDonald applied the brakes, but the wheels failed to grip properly.
“The firemen (except for the driver), sensing that a crash was imminent, jumped to the left side of the reel.”
The city commissioners held an inquiry into the accident three days later and concluded no one was to blame. The wet and slippery condition of the bridge floor was largely responsible for the crash, they concluded.
“The order was given, however, that extreme caution must be used by drivers of fire trucks when approaching or crossing the bridge.”