Posts Tagged truck fire on the Edens Expressway

Northfield EMS Box Alarm 4-21-13 – fiery crash on the Edens (pt2)

Follow up on the truck crash with fire on the Edens Expressway last night. We previously mentioned that:

The occupants of the car were already out when companies arrived thanks to the assistance of other motorists. Three people including the two occupants of the car that was underneath the trailer were transported to the hospital.

The Chicago Tribune has an article about the good samaritans who saved several lives last night.

The Hechtman brothers had closed up their Skokie restaurant Sunday night and were driving home when the semi-truck in front of them swerved on the Edens Expressway near Tower Road, struck another car and burst into flames.

Without thinking, Ken Hechtman stopped his car and the two brothers ran toward opposite ends of the truck. With each step, they could feel intense, searing heat and see the dark smoke in the air turn thicker. They also heard the truck explode twice, Ken Hechtman said in an interview today.

Daniel Hechtman, 54, ran toward the front of the semi and helped pull a passenger out of the fiery compartment. He carried the passenger’s limp body to the side of the road. The man started shaking, as if he was having spasms, Daniel Hechtman said.

Meanwhile, the elder Hechtman ran toward the back of the truck, intending to stop traffic. Instead, he heard voices calling for help underneath the truck.

“I heard the screaming and there was nothing else in my mind (but) to run toward the voices,” said Ken Hechtman, 60. “There was no time to think. It’s adrenaline. It’s all adrenaline.”

As he walked toward the truck, he saw a car underneath with a woman and young girl lying next to the vehicle. The woman’s hair was on fire and flames covered the back of the girl’s jacket, Ken Hechtman said.

Somehow, he managed to grab the two from underneath and put out the flames, he said. He carried the little girl across the expressway as cars whizzed by.

Illinois State Police said the accident happened around 9:10 p.m., when a truck traveling northbound near Northbrook struck a car as the truck merged from the right lane into a center lane. The truck driver then veered sharply to the right, striking a second car before losing control and smashing into a wall on the left shoulder of the highway, police said.

Four people were hurt, one critically, according to the Illinois State Police. One of the truck’s gas tanks caught fire after the crash.

One person sustained third-degree burns and is in critical condition at Loyola University Medical Center, police said. Another motorist was taken to Loyola and two were transported to Evanston Hospital, all three with minor injuries.

Among those injured, a girl, age 10, and a woman, age 39, suffered life-threatening injuries,  Nanai said. A man, age 49, and a woman, also 49, suffered non-life-threatening injuries, Nanai said.

Police have cited the truck driver for improper lane usage, lack of insurance and failure to display a medical card and log book.

thanks Chris

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Northfield EMS Box Alarm 4-21-13 – fiery crash on the Edens

Just after 9PM on Sunday evening, the Northfield Fire Department was initially dispatched for a small brush fire along the Edens Expressway (I94) near Willow Road. Other calls came in reporting a truck fire and additional units went en-route. As companies neared the expressway, they saw a huge fire along the center median of the northbound lanes about a 1/2 north of Willow Road. They encountered a fully-involved tractor-trailer combination on top of a car.

An EMS Box Alarm was requested immediately bringing ambulances from Winnetka, Wilmette, Northbrook, and Glencoe in addition to the Northfield ambulance that was on the scene performing triage. A Morton Grove squad, Wilmette tower ladder and engine, and Glenview truck responded supplementing the Northfield squad and engine. The intensity of the fire prompted a call for Crash Truck 23 and Crash Truck 39, two ARFF units from Wheeling and Prospect Heights.

The occupants of the car were already out when companies arrived thanks to the assistance of other motorists. Three people including the two occupants of the car that was underneath the trailer were transported to the hospital.

This video was posted as seen from along the frontage road.

Prospect Heights Crash Truck 39 reported that they had exhausted their entire volume of on-board extinguishing agent when they left the scene.

Images from Larry Shapiro

fiery crash on Edens Expressway

Wheeling Crash Truck 23 was special called to the crash site. Larry Shapiro photo

fiery crash on Edens Expressway

A passenger car is wedged between the center divider wall and the rear of the truck’s trailer. Larry Shapiro photo

Northfield Fire Rescue Department

Northfield Squad 29 and Wilmette Tower 26 on the highway after the fire is out. Larry Shapiro photo

IDOT heavy-duty wrecker

One of the IDOT heavy wreckers was at the scene. Larry Shapiro photo

fiery crash on Edens Expressway

The rear section of the trailer after being dragged to the outside shoulder of the highway. Larry Shapiro photo

fiery crash on Edens Expressway

The rear of the trailer shown resting on top of the car. Larry Shapiro photo

fiery crash on Edens Expressway

The car is wedged underneath the rear of the truck’s trailer. Larry Shapiro photo

fiery crash on Edens Expressway

The wreckage of the trailer exposing part of the cargo. Larry Shapiro photo

fiery crash on Edens Expressway

Charred remains of the truck’s tractor. Larry Shapiro photo

fiery crash on Edens Expressway

One of several IDOT Minute Man units at the crash site. Larry Shapiro photo

A gallery with more images can be viewed HERE.

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