STORM2K

FORT WORTH, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/The Dallas Morning News) - Severe weather in the North Texas area caused minor damage and left behind slick roads that led to accidents Sunday evening.

Seven people, including five emergency rescue workers, were injured in related wrecks near Interstate 30 and Loop 820 in Fort Worth, police said.

A red Honda heading south on Loop 820 hydroplaned and hit a utility pole. The single-vehicle accident trapped the driver. Three firefighters and two MedStar paramedics responded to the scene.

As the rescue workers worked to free the driver, a black Hyundai, also south, hydroplaned and slammed into the first car, pinning some of the rescue workers between the cars.

"It just so happened they hydroplaned in the same place," Fort Worth police Sgt. Don Hanlon said.

Two firefighters were taken by CareFlite to Fort Worth hospitals. The drivers of the cars, the MedStar employees and the third firefighter were transported on the ground to hospitals. Their names were not released Sunday.

Sgt. Hanlon said two of the firefighters and the Honda driver were seriously injured. A portion of Loop 820 was closed as accident investigators surveyed the scene. Sgt. Hanlon said speed and wet roads were factors in the accidents. No charges have been filed.

Hail and high winds downed several trees and caused damage in Sanger on Sunday night. One storm spotter reported winds as high as 78 miles per hour just outside the city limits.

Most of the damage, including broken windows at a Dairy Queen and a broken sign at a Sonic Drive-in, was centered on the intersection of Interstate 35 and FM455. Restaurant employees hid in a walk-in freezer to wait out the storm.

The storm that hit Sanger about 7 p.m. also knocked out power to several homes and businesses in Denton County.

The Dallas Morning News and WFAA-TV's Jeff Brady and Jack Beavers contributed to this report.

Firefighters recall accident ordeal

Men were pinned between vehicles on rain-slickened road

By YOLANDA WALKER / WFAA ABC 8

NEWS 8 EXCLUSIVE

FORT WORTH, Texas - "Injured in the line of duty."

It's a risk every single peace officer, firefighter and paramedic takes as part of their job.

Robert Woodle is used to moving fast, but for the first time in 17 years as a Fort Worth firefighter he's now forced to slow down. Woodle is walking with a limp after a bizarre weather-related accident Sunday night off Loop 820 just south of I-30.

"The rain had subsided quite a bit, but there was still plenty of it on the roadway," he said.

Those roads were just slick enough to catch some drivers by surprise. Woodle was right next to rookie firefighter Jeremy Torres as they tried to rescue a woman driver who hydroplaned and crashed into a light pole. Just a few minutes later, another driver lost control after she hit that same slick spot - and her vehicle skidded straight for the firefighters.

"All I heard was, 'car,' and I just assumed we were going to get hit," Woodle said.

"Right as I looked behind me, I heard a black car sliding towards us," said Torres. "You didn't have time to think or blink."

That second car sent the firefighters and some Medstar personnel to the hospital; Woodle had to be taken by CareFlite helicopter.

"Well, the good news is there is no broken bones," Woodle said. "It's just quite a bit of bruising and things like that."

One of the two Medstar employees is still in the hospital. Torres suffered knee injuries, but no broken bones - and both know it could have been worse.

"I think all of us are lucky," Woodle said. "The whole crew."

However, they said the real lesson here has nothing to do with luck, and everything to do with precaution.

"I think the fire department does a real good job, everything that we do," Woodle said. "But I would like to see the public slow down."

Firefighters said the "move over law" requires drivers to move over a lane while passing emergency crews, or slow down to 20 miles under the posted speed limit.

"Especially in conditions where it's still raining and there's water on the road, you're going too fast for that as it is," Torres said.

The firefighters said they hope to be back on the job in two weeks or so.

That's horrible! Good to hear they will be doing ok though.