2 firefighters injured in rollover crash while responding to call

WALTON COUNTY, Ga. — A fire truck crashed en route to a medical call Friday morning, injuring two Walton County firefighters, officials said.

The rollover crash involving Walton County Fire Rescue Engine 12 occurred about 8:25 a.m. on Hawkins Academy Road, according to the department.

Driver Artis Johnson, 50, and firefighter Michael Murray, 21, were taken to Piedmont Walton Hospital in Monroe with moderate injuries, treated and released, the department said.

According to the Georgia State Patrol, which is investigating the crash, the fire truck was turning left “when the passenger side tires left the roadway. The driver overcorrected, crossing the center line.”

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Johnson again overcorrected, traveled across the roadway, left the roadway, went down an embankment and overturned, according to the agency.

“As the vehicle overturned, the rear portion of the cab rolled and struck a tree,” the GSP said. “Impact with the tree occurred just behind the front seats causing a total collapse of the rear section of the cab.”

A backup engine was placed at the fire station on Hard Labor Creek after the accident, officials said.

This article was written by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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