WILSON’S MILLS – A two vehicle accident involving a Wilson’s Mills fire department vehicle injured three people. The accident was reported Saturday at 11:10am on US 70 at Wilson’s Mills Road.
According to Wilson’s Mills Police, a Wilson’s Mills fire truck was responding, with its lights and siren activated, to a house fire. The fire truck, a 2007 Chevrolet pickup, driven by John Beasley, 34, of Smithfield was traveling on Wilson’s Mills Road, and had stopped for a red light at the busy intersection.
Police said Beasley thought all traffic had stopped, and began to pull into the intersection. A 2014 Chevrolet pickup, driven by Seldon Lee Sherwood, age 59, of Beaufort, NC, was traveling westbound on US 70 and did not see or hear the fire truck, police said. The two vehicles collided in the intersection.
The fire truck was spun around and came to rest in the roadway. Sherwood’s truck came to rest on the shoulder 150 feet from the point of impact.
Beasley was transported by Johnston County EMS to Johnston Medical Center in Clayton for evaluation of minor injuries. Sherwood and a passenger in the pickup, Cheryl Sherwood, 48, of Beaufort, NC, had very minor injuries and were checked out at the scene by EMS. They declined transport to the hospital.
Police did not file any charges, however, an accident report indicated both drivers failed to yield. Everyone involved was wearing seat belts.
The accident caused heavy traffic delays for westbound motorists on US 70 until the scene could be cleared.
If all other traffic was stopped then my question is why did the driver of the pick up truck not hear the siren or see the lights on the fire truck. Looking at the Fire Truck the lights were LEDs, and they are really bright. I could be wrong, but it sounds like the driver of the pickup truck could have been distracted by something else.
Wilson mills needed to replace that truck. Now hopefully they can.