WATERBURY -- Fire Capt. John Keane died because the driver of his truck ran a red light while on the way to a fire that was out before they were dispatched, a police investigation has concluded.
The engine in which Keane was riding collided on May 19 with another fire truck on its way to the same fire call. Keane died three days later.The police investigation also concluded that Keane may have survived the accident if he had been wearing a seat belt, as required by state law and Waterbury Fire Department policies.
Today, police plan to release the results of their two-month investigation into the May 19 crash. The Republican-American has obtained a copy of the report, which reached the following conclusions:
Despite department policy and state law, neither Keane nor any of the the other firefighters in his engine — including driver Joseph Fischetti -- was wearing a seat belt. Keane's death was directly related to his failure to wear a seat belt.
Fischetti, who suffered serious injuries, broke state law and violated department policy by driving a fire engine through a red light, a move investigators concluded caused the crash. The route Fischetti chose to drive to the call was deeply flawed because it was indirect, increased the number of intersections for him to clear and increased the likelihood he would cross paths with other fire apparatus.
The six fire vehicles were dispatched "Code 3," the most urgent response, even though the caller indicated that the fire was out and everyone was out of the house and unhurt. The decision determining the level of response was not made by the appropriate firefighter, which is another violation of department policy. |