Firefighter Record
Firefighter Details
| Name | William Grant |
| Agency | Chicago Fire Department |
| Rank | Firefighter |
| Type of Firefighter | Career |
| Age Range | 41 to 45 |
| Sex | Male |
| Date of Birth | 3/15/1963 |
| Date of Death | 3/23/2007 |
| Cause of Death | Vehicle collision |
| Nature of Death | Trauma |
| Attribute of Death | [not applicable] |
| Type of Duty | Responding to/returning from incident |
Incident Details
| Incident Name | N/A |
| Incident City | Chicago |
| Incident State | IL |
| Incident Date | 3/23/2007 7:51 |
| Incident Location | Street/Road |
| Incident Attribute | Traffic accidents |
Incident Summary
On March 23, 2007, Chicago Fire Department Firefighter William Grant died in the line of duty in a traffic accident. At 7:38AM, Truck 51 was dispatched to a still alarm on S. May Street. Grant was one of four firefighters riding in the cab of the apparatus, and was seated directly behind the driver.
Truck 51 proceeded westbound on 59th Street with the lights and sirens activated. As the apparatus approached the intersection of 59th and Wells, the driver maneuvered the rig to the center of 59th Street, so as to navigate around a semi-truck that had been proceeding south on Wells Street, but had stopped to yield the right of way to the fire apparatus. As Truck 51 proceeded through the intersection, they were struck by a school bus traveling southbound on Wells Street. The bus was driving in the right hand lane and the driver saw the semi-truck come to a stop, but did not hear or see the emergency vehicle and therefore proceeded through the intersection. The front of the school bus struck the officer’s side rear wheels of Truck 51.
The impact caused Truck 51 to spin and flip onto the driver’s side. The vehicle traveled approximately 100 feet in this manner and came to rest after striking a city street light post. Inside the cab of Truck 51, the officer and the driver were both injured and pinned inside the vehicle, and Grant was trapped underneath the rig. Squad 5 and Truck 18 worked in conjunction to free the trapped victim. The officer and driver were taken out through the front windshield, and airbags were deployed allowing Grant to be removed from under the vehicle.
The four firefighters were taken to four different hospitals to be treated for their injuries. Ambulance 55 transported Grant to Little Company of Mary Hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Summary provided by the Chicago Fire Department.
Additional Resources:
http://www.fsi.uiuc.edu/content/library/IFLODD/search/funeral.cfm
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