Firefighter urges drivers to slow down after being hit responding to downed tree

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — A speeding car struck a firefighter who was responding to a tree that was blocking a Gaston County road Wednesday night, officials said.

The New Hope Fire Department was called to a large tree that was blocking New Hope Road near Rowe Street.

The car sped underneath the fallen tree, which then hit the firefighter and a fire engine.

The injured New Hope firefighter, Ben Crawford, and two people in the car were taken to CaroMont Regional Medical Center.

Crawford was treated and released Thursday morning.

‘Simply slow down’

Crawford said he comes to work every day to help people.

However, he is aware of the risks.

“You can get hurt really doing anything,” Crawford told Channel 9 on Friday. “You can get hurt responding to a call. There’s all sorts of ways to get hurt.”

Crawford went to the intersection to block drivers but then the car hit the tree, him, and the fire engine.

He told Channel 9 he had no time to react.

“By the time I turned around, they were already hitting me and hitting the truck,” he said. “Once I stepped with my right foot, I realized I couldn’t put weight on my right foot and I kind of just went down to the ground.”

He knows it could have been worse.

“The thought of what your family would do after something happens to you is hard,” he said. “So, it’s definitely a different outlook.”

Crawford hopes everyone who hears his story learns from his close call.

“Simply slow down. This is life or death,” he said.

Crawford said he’s waiting to find out if he’ll need surgery, and he is unsure when he can go back to his jobs at the New Hope and Matthews fire departments.

The conditions of the other two were not released.

Fire Engine 50 is out of commission.

We asked troopers if the driver of the car will be cited and are waiting to hear back.

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