Hydroplaning can be a terrifying thing to happen to any driver. Hydroplaning generally occurs when there is water on the roadway, usually from a recent rainstorm. Water gets between the tires and the roadway, causing them to lose traction. When this happens, the vehicle can begin to spin out of control. Many people panic and try and slam on their brakes or try and turn in the opposite direction, which can make things worse. If a person finds themselves hydroplaning, they should gently apply the brakes and then turn into the direction of the spin. This will ensure that they come out of the event safely.
The Florida Times-Union reports that a Jacksonville firefighter overturned a fire engine and suffered from serious injuries.
A firefighter who was a veteran of the Jacksonville Fire Department suffered from serious injuries when the fire engine he was driving overturned on Sunday.
53-year-old Captain Daniel Arms was hospitalized following the crash, which happened shortly after 9 a.m. on Interstate 10.
Arms was alone in Engine 32, heading to St. Vincent’s Medical Center-Riverside when the accident occurred. He was en route to pick up two firefighters at the time. A witness called 911 and told the dispatcher that a fire truck had just hydroplaned amid heavy rain. It then crashed into a guard rail and onto a grass median, where the fire truck overturned.
When rescue workers arrived, Arms was laying on the side of the road and was unconscious. Witnesses had been able to pull him from the vehicle. He was taken to UF Health Jacksonville.
Arms has been with the Jacksonville Fire Department for about 16 years.