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    • Firefighter from Gaston unemployed after collision with a car
    Enterprise

    Firefighter from Gaston unemployed after collision with a car

    Idris Bevan Posted on

    A Belmont firefighter is urging Gaston County residents to slow down after he was hit by a car while responding to emergency calls about a fallen tree late last night.

    Ben Crawford, a firefighter for over 15 years, said the accident, which left him temporarily unable to work, was entirely avoidable.

    On the night of July 31, Crawford and fellow firefighter Keith Harper were working with the New Hope Fire Department when they were called to the scene of a tree that had fallen on Union New Hope Road.

    The tree was slightly elevated and located about six feet above the road, Crawford said.

    While Crawford was waiting for help from the North Carolina Department of Transportation with the fire truck’s blue lights on, he was suddenly hit by the driver of a sedan who he said was driving very fast.

    After the accident, Crawford, the driver and a passenger of the vehicle were taken to CaroMont Regional Medical Center, according to New Hope Fire Department Chief Matt Young.

    Young said the driver and passenger of the sedan escaped with minor injuries, and Crawford was released from the hospital the next morning.

    Crawford said his right knee suffered the most physical damage and he is awaiting the results of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan to determine which ligaments suffered the most damage.

    The physical effects are less severe than the psychological ones, he said.

    According to Crawford, all emergency workers go to work not knowing if they will return home, and situations like this are sobering.

    “It slows you down for a second,” he said. “When it hits you and you think, ‘Oh crap, that literally could have been the end for my family having me here,’ the whole family just stops, we’re just still, we sit here and we’re grateful.”

    Crawford said that in addition to the mental and physical issues he is currently dealing with, the injury also requires him to take a break from his lawn care business, Rescue Aeration, and he will not be able to return to his job at the Matthews or New Hope fire departments for the next few weeks.

    Crawford said he hoped drivers would take his story as a warning and slow down.

    “When you see red flashing lights, don’t speed up, slow down,” he said. “This situation is completely avoidable.”

    Despite the psychological impact of the accident, Crawford plans to return to the fire department as soon as possible.

    “Oh God… I’ll be back,” he said. “I’m a firefighter. When you’re a firefighter, you’re a firefighter. That’s pretty much it.”

    It is currently unclear whether the driver of the limousine will face charges in connection with the accident.

    The North Carolina Highway Patrol has not responded to requests for information about the accident.

    Young said the department is now trying to replace a decades-old fire truck that was also hit in the accident and was unable to continue.

    Young said he does not expect a replacement to arrive at the station until February 2025 at the earliest.

    The replacement will cost around $700,000.

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    Idris Bevan
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