By Kiera Morgan
North Lincoln Fire and rescue crews along with Lincoln City police responded to a report of a crash on NE 14th and Mast Monday afternoon. The crash investigation showed the driver of a Jeep Cherokee ran a stop sign and struck an oncoming S-10 pickup. Witnesses advised the Jeep was traveling fast when it did not stop for a stop sign on NE Mast at NE 14th, which resulted in the crash. The S10 pick-up was pushed into a parked unattended Dodge van on NE Mast and the van was pushed into a deck connected to a residence at the corner of NE 14th St and NE Mast. The driver of the Jeep was taken to Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital by PacWest Ambulance where he was treated.He was also cited for reckless driving, fail to obey traffic control device, fail to wear seatbelt and open container.
According to Capt. Jim Kusz with North Lincoln Fire and Rescue they responded to a total of eight calls Monday afternoon. He said that is not an unusual amount and they often have to respond to two or more calls going on concurrently. Kusz said emergency call volume has increased in the District, and volunteer firefighter numbers have decreased by nearly 1/3 from 68 in 2012, to 43 in 2017. Also, fewer firefighters are able to respond to calls. The volunteer firefighters have jobs and family commitments that can prevent them from responding to calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; and not all employers are able to allow their employees to leave. This is one of the reasons that the district is asking voters to approve a levy in May to help the district hiring on additional staff.
