At last... the Engine 7 accident report

Well we know now, or at least we've been told, it was not driver error in the now famous roll over of Engine 7. Instead, we are told it's the truck that failed. There seems to be no word from the manufacture, but one thing is for sure, the report does say that the fireman were not wearing their seat belts. It's a miracle no one was seriously hurt, but taxpayers may be asked to spend big money to sue the manufacture.

The one final question I have is, why no drug or alcohol test?

Selectmen and Fire Chief Gary Daugherty refused to comment last night on the newly released report on April's Engine 7 crash after meeting behind closed doors to discuss it.

The chief and board members would not say whether the town will be taking legal action given police investigators' conclusion that faulty all-wheel steering likely caused the 9-year-old Pierce pumper to veer off Edgell Road and roll over on April 10, injuring the four firefighters aboard.

The officials were also mum on another finding in the report state police released on Monday: that the injuries the firefighters in the cab sustained "can be directly related" to their failure to buckle up. Wearing a seat belt is required by department policy.

"I think most of the guys do what they do at home and wear seat belts just for their own protection," firefighters union president Pete DeVito said yesterday.

DeVito said he never asked the four firefighters if they were strapped in as they were returning to the Nobscot station from a call around 7:30 a.m.

"We do wear seat belts whenever we can," he said. "We're supposed to."

Three of the department veterans who were injured in the crash remain out on paid medical leave. The fourth man, Dave Carol, who was driving the truck, retired as he had planned to do.

Esty said she was bothered the report's results were printed in yesterday's Daily News.

Selectman Jason Smith said one of the four men hurt told him he was wearing his seat belt. "I 100 percent believe him," Smith said.

The long-awaited report cleared Carol, saying he was not speeding and made no driving error. Framingham and state police investigators, instead, blamed the crash on the truck's Oshkosh all-steer axles.

Town Counsel Chris Petrini on Monday said he would be working with selectmen to decide whether to bring a lawsuit against Pierce Manufacturing, the Wisconsin-based truck maker.