No determination on fire truck axle problem

In an Oct. 4 letter, Jay Benton of Haynes Enterprises Inc. of Winder told Barrow County Roads & Bridges that because of the damage to the axle, “an exact cause of failure will be impossible to determine.”

According to county maintenance records, Engine 1 had been returned to service only 15 days before the incident due to “broken rear wheel studs.”

But Benton said in his letter that his company had checked with the manufacturer and “the correct parts were installed and it appears they were installed correctly.”

He said the most likely causes of the subsequent mechanical failure were a premature bearing failure, lack of oil supply, or a spindle nut lock failure.

Barrow County Emergency Services Chief Dennis Merrifield said the axle was badly damaged because when it came apart, “it came apart violently.”

The engine previously was in the county’s fleet maintenance shop from Aug. 5-15, the records show.

At the time of the incident, there were two firefighters on the 2005 engine, which had just left a call. The engine was heading east toward Statham and was just east of the Hwy. 53 intersection when the axle became dislodged.

The truck’s two rear tires separated, causing the vehicle to immediately hit the pavement and stop. The two onboard firefighters were able to quickly extinguish a small fire that also was ignited.

As it careened down Hwy. 316, the axle did not strike any other cars, and no one was injured.