Fire captain critical after truck overturns

Ed Koch and Mary Manning

Monday, Nov. 3, 2003 | 11:20 a.m.

A Las Vegas firefighter remained in critical condition at University Medical Center this morning after an accident late Friday in which a fire truck flipped over on U.S. 95 at the Rainbow Boulevard off-ramp.

Capt. Thelonious Adams, who purportedly was riding in the right front seat of the fire truck, was listed as critical today at UMC, the hospital said. One of his fellow firefighters said Adams suffered a broken neck and possibly a severed spinal cord in the accident, but hospital and fire department officials refused to confirm the extent of Adams' injuries.

The three other firefighters who were on the truck with Adams were treated at UMC and released, authorities said.

About 11:30 p.m. Friday, Adams and his crew were in Las Vegas Fire Engine 6 rushing to a call about smoke in an apartment complex off Rainbow Boulevard. As it took the off-ramp for Rainbow, Fire Engine 6 entered a curve, rolled onto its side and slid into a guard rail, Las Vegas Fire and Rescue spokesman Tim Szymanski said.

No other vehicles were involved, Szymanski said.

A firefighters in a ladder truck going to the same call came upon the accident and called for help.

The Nevada Highway Patrol is investigating the accident but has not yet settled on a probable cause.

Fire Engine 6 is a $325,000 vehicle, and it is not yet known whether the vehicle, which suffered extensive damage, can be repaired, Szymanski said.

Nevada Department of Transportation officials today said there have been no incidents resulting from design issues regarding that off-ramp. However, to improve traffic flow, a $42 million road-and ramp-widening project is to begin this month at that location, NDOT officials said.