LAFAYETTE — Walker County will have to replace a fire truck that was underinsured and suffered severe damage when it fell over and caught fire during a test run by a mechanic.
The 71,000-pound truck’s ladder apparatus was also damaged in the June 24 accident on Old Lafayette Road, just south of Glass Mill Road, when, according to the accident report, the truck’s brakes failed and the driver lost control after crossing some railroad tracks.
According to county Chairwoman Angie Teems, the truck carried only liability insurance. Teems said the previous administration had chosen to carry only liability insurance on all its vehicles that were more than five years old. This applied to fire trucks, too, including the wrecked one that was 12 years old…