Below are pictures and videos of recent struck-by incidents involving Florida responders. The majority of these incidents are from Central Florida and involve responders from the agencies who are members of our District 5 TIM team.
The map, below, is a graphic representation of reported struck-by incidents involving Central Florida first responders.
On February 2021, at around 12:15 pm Austin Gayne a tow truck operator with Johnson’s Wrecker Service was struck and killed on State Route 408 WB around Mils Ave. Austin Gayne is survived by his parents, his girlfriend, and their three children. Austin was assisting the Orlando Police in relocating a vehicle when he was struck. Both OPD and CFX Road Rangers were on location.
On March 17th, 2021, while on routine patrol, a CFX Road Ranger stopped out with a disabled vehicle on SR 429. As the Road Ranger stepped out of his truck, a tractor-trailer failed to slow down or move over and struck the Road Ranger’s door. The semi did not stop at the incident location. The Road Ranger reported no injuries.
On the afternoon of July 17th, 2020 a Central Florida Expressway (CFX) Road Ranger stopped on the shoulder to check on a disabled vehicle. While the Road Ranger was at the disabled vehicle his truck was struck by another motorist. The Road Ranger had his emergency light and arrow board on when the struck by occurred. The Road Ranger was uninjured during this struck by.
21-year old Dawson Rice, an EMT in Florida, suffered multiple fractures and other critical injuries after being struck-by a vehicle while working on the scene of a previous crash. Click here to read more.
On Christmas Day, 2019, a Road Ranger was assisting the Florida Highway Patrol when the back of the Road Ranger truck was struck by a vehicle. The driver of the car that struck the Road Ranger truck received minor injuries. No first respondents were injured.
In the early morning hours of Feb 10th, an Orlando FD unit was hit by an approaching motorist. Four firefighters were in the cab at the time. They were transported to the hospital for evaluation but released later that morning. Occupants in the other vehicle were also transported, with injuries. Just 4- hours later, another unit from Ocoee Fire Dept. was also hit.
In January, 2019, a Road Ranger had just stopped to provide roadside assistance on a rainy day, when a passing motorist lost control of their vehicle. The Road Ranger had just gotten on scene. (He hadn’t even gotten out of his truck to set up his MOT.) He heard the screeching tires and stayed in the truck. Thankfully, his parking brake was on and he did not sustain any injuries, but at least one of the occupants from other vehicles was hurt.
In late December 2018, while working a crash, an apparatus from Orlando Fire Department was struck by a motorist, and charged with DUI. 3 firefighters were transported with minor injuries, two from outside the truck, one from within. The driver of the car that struck them suffered serious injuries.
In late 2018, an FHP Trooper was on the roadside, investigating a minor two-vehicle crash when a semi lost control. A Road Ranger was parked behind the Trooper, providing MOT/advanced warning when the incident occurred. The Trooper had just gotten back to his vehicle and pulled his leg in, when the semi hit the side of his cruiser, nearly removing the driver’s side door.
A vehicle lost control, striking a Road Ranger truck on the scene to provide MOT to a disabled vehicle. This video shows the dangers our first responders deal with daily.