New Emergency Truck in Crash

Source: Anderson Daily Bulletin, Anderson, Indiana, Friday, December 23, 1955, page 5.

New Emergency Truck in Crash

Alexandria - Alexandria's new emergency truck, belonging to the fire department, was involved in a four-vehicle wreck on its way to answer a resuscitation call at the home of the Rev. Archie Kent, Innisdale, where an electric pump motor had filled the house with smoke. Driving the truck was Fire Chief Mace Hitchens. City police reported that the truck had both the red light and siren operating. The truck crossed Washington and Harrison St. intersection when a car driven by Frank Lambertson Jr., manager of the Town Theater, was in a collision with it.

The truck was going against a red light but had the right of way, police stated. After the collision with the Lambertson car the truck careened into an auto driven by Neal King, 11th Street Rd., which was stopped on the Washington street side of Harrison. After hitting the King car, the truck bounced across the street and hit a car owned by Almeda Clymer, RR 3. There were no injuries but there was an estimated damage to the King car of $450 and the emergency truck damage was estimated at between $750 and $1000. The truck was only recently put into service after being paid for by the donations from Alexandria industries, businesses, organizations and private citizens, and it was on its first run.