Walton County firefighter still seriously hurt after wreck

Within one week two fire trucks went off the road in nearly the same spot

SOCIAL CIRCLE — Within a the span of a week, two fire trucks careened off Hawkins Academy Road at almost the exact same spot.

The first happened the morning of Jan. 11, when a Walton County fire engine dispatched from the Hard Labor Creek station headed to a medical emergency in southern Walton County.

The firefighters, Artis Johnson and Michael Murray, lost control of the truck while negotiating a left hand turn while going down a hill. The truck flipped and toppled off the road, but both Johnson and Murray escaped with minor injuries.

Then, on the afternoon of Jan. 18, John Richardson and Lt. Lester Pittman of the Social Circle Fire Department were heading to a house fire on Hawkins Academy Road.

While making the same turn, the truck also sped off the road and overturned. The cab collapsed on impact with the ground.

Pittman suffered minor injuries.

But Richardson had to be pulled from the truck and transported to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta with severe injuries. Currently, he is in stable but serious condition according to Social Circle Fire Chief Ken Zaydel.

“He’s got a long road to recovery,” Zaydel said.

Both trucks were destroyed beyond repair in the crashes. Walton County and Social Circle will be using reserve engines until they can be replaced.