Excerpts from FirefighterNation.com:
Firefighter Miguel Holland, 49, of Rockford faces charges of aggravated driving under the influence and reckless homicide after a fatal fire truck crash on March 6 at Whitman and North Church streets that involved a Rockford fire engine and a Ford Focus. The driver of the Ford, Marta Esquivias, 57, died at the hospital from injuries sustained in the wreck.
At the time of the crash, Holland told investigators that the fire engine was traveling about 35 miles-per-hour in the 30 mile-per-hour zone when the Focus entered the intersection, and he tried to avoid the collision but could not. He told investigators he had not used any product containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in over a week.
Winnebago County State’s Attorney J. Hanley said a speed deceleration report generated by the Pierce fire engine showed the apparatus was traveling at 47 miles-per-hour when the brakes were applied just before the crash. He said Holland submitted a blood and urine sample that showed THC levels of 19.0 +/- 4.0 ng/mL – above the legal limit of 10 for operating a motor vehicle. Holland faces up to 33 years in prison on the three charges.
thanks Dennis
#1 by bob on June 29, 2023 - 8:28 AM
Mike, Mike C and Austin: I appreciate and respect all of your views and opinions on the matter. Opposing views are often the solution to problems. I appreciate all three of you keeping this a respectful conversation.
#2 by Austin on June 28, 2023 - 10:19 AM
Mike, it doesn’t matter if they did or didn’t get into a wreck, they were drunk. That is illegal and they could have killed someone, or themselves. While legal use in ILL is only a few years old, its been legal in many states for nearly a decade. Colorado, Washington, Oregon, California have had it legal for a while. I’m curious as to how many accidents where a ff was found to be high on the job, or caused an accident in any of those states. I see no difference between alcohol and weed, both aren’t allowed while on duty. When ever we are driving, there is a good chance you are driving past someone who is under the influence of something, and that isn’t new. I just think its a bit strange to blame marijuana when driving under the influence of something isn’t new. But I do get your point
#3 by Mike C on June 27, 2023 - 9:57 AM
The fact of the matter is Miguel Holland has not been truthful on two accounts. When this goes to court, the driver is going to have a hard fight to fight!
First – Miquel Holland states he was going about 35 miles per hour when in reality the trucks data recorder proves he was going 17 miles per hour over the limit. Whether the rig had a green or red light at this intersection, assuming it even had a stop light, why is he traveling 17 miles per hour over the posted limit?
Second – The driver states he didn’t consume anything with THC in over a week but based on his blood and urine sample that showed THC levels of 19.0 +/- 4.0 ng/mL clearly he consumed something with THC much more recent than his claim.
The tragic part is, someone lost their life and a firefighter will lose his job. I think Miquel Holland is going to have a hard time getting out of this one but since I don’t have ALL the details like anyone else here, I guess we’ll just have to wait to see how it plays out.
R.I.P. Marta Esquivias
#4 by Mike on June 27, 2023 - 12:41 AM
Austin not sure if you’re on this job but I remember the engine 100 video and while they were partying in the firehouse and went on runs they didn’t get into a crash and kill someone. As soon as marijuana became legal departments started going to management to open up their drug testing and usage sections of their contracts. I completely understand that THC is in more then just marijuana, but there also isn’t good means of testing THC and when it was ingested. Alcohol is able to be tested and measured to guess the approximate time of consumption. Marijuana has been legal in Illinois for a couple years now and as locals got this in their contracts they were all told be careful what you wish for……and here we are.
#5 by Austin on June 26, 2023 - 11:11 PM
Like Bob said, THC is not only form smoking. It is honestly a stupid argument blaming weed (or however he got his THC in his system) it is the responsibility of the person to use good judgment. If you they actually smoked it, the effects would be gone typically in less than 5 hours. You can drink alcohol, own a gun, a knife, or use/do any number of things legally, but at the end of the day the individual is responsible for using anything in accordance to the law. What about in the early 90’s when that one fire house in Chicago filmed themselves getting plastered on the job? Did you say “its alcohols fault?” No, nobody did. So why is their a diffrent standard for weed? This person killed someone, plain and simple. The matter in which how they did is irrelevant.
#6 by bob on June 26, 2023 - 12:23 PM
So THC is not just from marijuanna usage. It is in other products, and i believe that is why the article states “any product containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in over a week”. So i think assuming that this firefighter was smoking “weed” as reflected in many of the comments is very presumptive and not understanding of the entire situation. I can also say that it is far from true that every fire department has a zero tolerance rule on drug usage. I can tell you I work under a union contract that has specific tolerable limits listed for everything from THC to opioids. I will say that they are below the Federal DOT standard; however, as long as you aren’t above the limit at the time of an accident or injury do as you please. Oh and we don’t have random drug testing either. I can tell you that my employer once tried to fire someone for a positive drug test for cocaine when it turns out the person had a nasal procedure done the day prior and the numbing medication they used is in the same family as cocaine. Again, the person was not over the tolerable limit at the time and had a resonable documented excuse so the issue went no where. I feel great compassion for the family that lost a loved one in this incident as well as the second person who was injured and for the firefighter involved in the matter as well, as i am sure it has changed his life dramatically also. I am all about protecting the image of this profession and can say that I understood coming into the job 25 years ago that drug usage was not a characteristic of a firefighter. Unfortunately, if you want to blame society, new thinking in the fire service, or whatever other factor that is out there has led the industry to accepting drug usage; it’s here like it or not. Let us all hope that positive change can come out of this tragic situation for everyone involved and for the benefit of the firefighting profession.
#7 by Pat on June 26, 2023 - 10:53 AM
What if he was driving after drinking alcohol? Same thing would happen but alcohol is legal. So does it really matter if weed is legal?
#8 by Wayne on June 26, 2023 - 10:14 AM
A lot of fire departments in the suburbs allow off duty use now. CFD also won’t punish members for popping hot on randoms. If you get in an accident as a driver and have it in your system you still go into Last Chance.
#9 by Chuck on June 26, 2023 - 9:33 AM
What department allows off duty use of marijuana? Any fire department anywhere has zero tolerance drug policies in place that prohibit any use period, whether on duty or off.
#10 by crabbymilton on June 26, 2023 - 6:45 AM
To think that legalizing that garbage was a good idea. We can only expect more stupid driving.
#11 by Mike on June 26, 2023 - 12:16 AM
Well this was just a matter of time. Once marijuana became legal in Illinois and departments started allowing off duty use. The question now is was he actually impaired or not.