Investigation, evidence detailed in Rt. 220 deadly fire truck crash

WSLS News Staff
Published: August 29, 2008

New information about what caused a deadly fire truck accident on Route 220, in Botetourt County back in May.

State Police say Eagle Rock volunteer firefighter Lucas McCulloch was responding to an accident, and crossed the center line hitting a pick-up truck head-on, near Kelley’s Market, back on May 26th.  The crash killed Russell Meadows and Judi Martin.

Martin’s family tells WSLS that Botetourt County Commonwealth’s Attorney Joel Branscome told the family that there was not enough evidence to charge McCulloch.

Now we’ve learned what the State Police investigation found.  Trooper D.A. Hamblin interviewed witnesses, and the State Police accident reconstruction team began their work about an hour after the crash.

Based on the evidence found, investigators concluded a quote, “catastrophic weight shift of water in the tank” caused the driver to lose the ability to steer the fire truck.  The fire truck then went straight through a curve, and hit the pick-up.

Investigators believe a combination of speed, inappropriate braking, and the downward curve in the road, caused the water shift.  That water shift put a “major concentration of weight on the front, driver side tire.  Troopers concluded that the increased pressure on that tire caused it to momentarily flatten, and as a result, Lucas McCulloch could not steer the fire truck.

State Police say the only physical evidence at the scene was a single overload mark, that started at the top of the curve, and went across the double yellow line to the gravel shoulder of the southbound lane.  State Police did not find skid marks or yaw marks, nor paint/plastic/rubber transfers on the roadway markings.  Investigators conclude that this evidence indicates the fire truck was neither braking nor turning.

Troopers believe Meadows veered to the right to avoid the fire truck, and unfortunately ended up directly in the fire truck’s path.

State Police say there is no way to estimate the fire truck’s speed based on stopping distance.  McCulloch estimated his speed at 55 MPH.  A witness driving behind the fire truck estimated the fire truck’s speed between 50 to 55 MPH.

Based on the evidence, Branscome says this accident “is not flagrant, culpable, and wanton with disregard of the safety of others,“ and the evidence would not support a manslaughter charge.