Delafield fire truck crashes responding to call; 4 firefighters injured

TOWN OF DELAFIELD - Four firefighters suffered minor injuries Oct. 14 when a fire truck they were using to respond to a call slid off the road and into some trees just south of Interstate 94.

The crash occurred just before 2 a.m., the fire department and witnesses said, and caused some damage to the truck. 

Town of Delafield Fire Chief Paul Kozlowski said the truck's right front tire caught the edge of the roadway, across from Buck Rub Archery, N13 W28400 Silvernail Road, and ended up in a ditch.

There's no shoulder there, Kozlowski explained, and a curve in the road near where the crash occurred is difficult for anyone to navigate. 

The four firefighters on board all suffered what Kozlowski described as "superficial" injuries.

"A few bumps and bruises," he said.

Kozlowski did not have a damage estimate on Oct. 17 for the truck, which has since been moved to a storage area, but said that the cost of repairs would be covered by the department's insurance.

"We'll only have to pay a minimal deductible," he said.

Crash roused nearby residents

Warren Thomson, who lives across from Buck Rub, said he was startled awake by the crash, which he said occurred just west of his driveway.

"I drove my car to the end of my drive so I could illuminate the accident scene," he said. "The truck was on the south side of Silvernail Road, pointed east, parallel to the road but well into the treeline. It had obviously missed a gentle turn maybe 700 feet west of its final resting place."

He said he hung around the crash site for about a half-hour before heading back inside, but later returned with others to watch the department saw away branches.

It took them about two hours to remove the truck from the ditch, Thomson said.

"That truck must have been moving pretty good," he said.