Heroism overlooked
Young firefighter's act initially unreported

A fourth truck travelling on Interstate 40 Dec. 14 swerved on the icy highway to avoid the pileup. Courtesy Photo

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Phil Stake
Staff writer

GALLUP — Last Sunday, Dec., 14, when three tractor-trailers collided near Prewitt on the icy westbound lanes of Interstate Highway 40, an act of heroism went overlooked.

Newsmakers took the information available from official state police statements and rushed to deliver the news to travelers.

“One of the trucks’ cab became wedged under the trailer in front of it and severed a fuel line that started a fire with the two drivers trapped inside,” a television station KRQE news report said. “Two New Mexico State Highway Patrol officers arrived on the scene quickly and, taking some fire extinguishers, knocked the fire back sufficiently to pull the two drivers out of the smashed cab.”

“I was very upset when I saw that report because I thought the person who was there should get credit for what was done. And it was not a state policeman,” said Dave Harris, 65, of Sudbury, Ontario, whose truck was third in line in the pile-up.

First on the scene were Prewitt volunteer Fire Chief Able Forkner and his 15-year-old son, Patrick. Forkner, who lives about a mile from the crash scene, heard his beeper page and responded immediately by driving to the crash in his personal pickup with Patrick in the passenger seat.

The scene upon arrival must have been harrowing.
While driving through a construction zone on frozen roads, the trucks had been unable to slow down. The second truck in line rear-ended the first truck with enough force to shear its hood as the motor wedged beneath the trailer in front of it. A piece of metal severed the now-smashed truck’s fuel line, which began spraying fuel against the electrical posts of its battery. The battery began to arc and the truck caught fire. Harris and his wife, Estelle Chartrand, were in the third truck, which similarly rear-ended the second truck and caught fire. Chartrand was driving.

“The tires on the truck exploded,” Harris said. “It was all smashed in the front and the cab was filling with smoke immediately ... my wife’s foot was jammed between the motor and the brake pedal.”

Harris had been resting in the sleeping quarters of the truck while his wife drove. She was pinned behind the steering wheel and the impact had broken her thumb.

“She’s not hurt terribly,” Harris said. “But we didn’t know that at the time.”

The driver-side door became lodged behind the truck’s fender and the passenger-side door was little better, Harris said.

“They got out of a white, half-ton pickup ... the young fellow is the only one we had anything to do with,” he said.

“My wife and I said he looked like he was about 18 years old ... the door would only open about 6 to 8 inches, which was enough for my wife to get out, but it wasn’t enough for me ... I was actually trying to kick the door, trying to get it enough. So this young fellow actually pulled on the door. I was very impressed. I was very impressed with what he did.”

Chief Forkner said when he and Patrick arrived on the scene, the occupants of the second truck were already getting out by themselves, which sent them rushing to check the other passengers. Harris described watching Able and Patrick Forkner running up and down the long line of crushed and burning metal once he and his wife were safely away from the truck.

“We’d like to thank those two fellows for stopping,” Harris said. “Those two firemen were the first two there. And it was considerable time before any state trooper got there.”