I am a definite fire and rescue buff but I have a life beyond that so I chase the action on a time available basis. That means photographs like these are fairly rare for me to shoot. It is also difficult to establish a relationship (much less remember names) with the near 1,000 area firefighters so you have to try to look like you belong there and definitely stay out of the way. Occasionally a friendly face will give you a nod and acknowledge your presents, keeping the well meaning policeman from beating you senseless (just kidding though I have been intimidated). I think it's a funny when you get moved far enough away that you can't get photos and later they ask you if you got any good shots of them. I'm old enough to have taken pictures that are now in the fire museum so you never know if your going to get something significant. Back to the accident.
Most of these pictures appeared in the Orlando Fire Department Firelines newsletter.
Click on the image if you want to see a larger picture.
This is the way the cars
ended up. I couldn't get the whole scene in one frame. The blue car lost control
and slid sideways into the oncoming white car. The resulting collision split the
blue car in half. I believe there were 4 people in it. One (the driver) survived.
Family of a member of the Orlando Police Department. Much less serious injuries in
the white car due to belts and bags.
The rescue truck on the right in the first shot is in the center of the
second. You can see the rear half of the blue car is about 100 feet away from the front half. There were passengers in the back seat. Both thrown to the street. Both died. .
The Orange County Sheriffs helicopter arrives for transport of victims.
I believe neighbors had brought this victim to their
carport before paramedics arrived.
Front seat victims had to be removed from the blue car. Very little work for the jaws, as it was
wide open.
A second chopper from a local hospital arrives.
This early shot is just before traffic was rerouted. A tower, 2 rescues 2 engines 2 choppers
and ambulances worked the call.
After extrication was complete, I realized just how close the accident was to the union hall
driveway.
This is pretty unbelievable. If you can recognize the type of car, I'd think twice before putting my family in one. It was a high speed accident, but
not that high speed.
I find it interesting how much press coverage a light plane crash can get. We recently had
local TV stations cover a chopper crash with no fatalities live for almost an hour .
Yet these incredible multiple death car accidents happen almost weekly and sometimes daily
in the area and are taken, it seems, less seriously. Each person killed in an auto crash is
just as much missed by friends and co-workers as murder victims and more dramatic plane crash
victims. I'm sorry, I got off subject. I should do a page on the news media.
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