IN ERIE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, THE DEPUTY CHIEF OF THE LAWRENCE PARK TOWNSHIP VFD died on the fireground Tuesday evening while working on a commercial fire.

Michael D. Crotty

FirefighterCloseCalls has the initial report HERE:

The Deputy Chief of the Lawrence Park Township VFD (Erie County, PA) Mike Crotty, was tragically killed in the Line of Duty early (Tuesday) evening at a working industrial building fire. Companies were on the mutual aid run, for the working factory fire to the Harbor Creek VFD, when for a yet undetermined reason, the Lawrence Park aerial ladder had a catastrophic failure when a portion of the waterway and master stream separated from the main ladder, falling, striking the Deputy Chief, who was operating in a command role. Initial reports are that the device had a pinnable waterway and it was flowing water at the time of the failure.

The Erie Times-News reports that the fire involved stacks of wood and plastic pallets outside of the Port Erie Plastics company.

Erie Times-News / Janet Campbell photo

Chief Crotty was transported by LifeStar helicopter to the hospital where he was declared dead at 4:56 pm.  He was also a career firefighter at the Erie Bureau of Fire stationed at Engine 6.  He was appointed to the Bureau just this past January.

The Times-News has a video of the 8 pm news conference HERE.
The latest print report from the Times-News is HERE.
WSEE-TV has a good VIDEO REPORT.

Update:  The Erie Times-News is reporting that the Pennsylvania State Police have begun an investigation into the accident.  They are interviewing witnesses and recreating operation.  State Police Sgt. Jim Rogers says that it is standard procedure whenever there is a fatal accident, even if there has been no crime committed.

The autopsy is also being carried out today.

Update #2:  The Times-News is also reporting that the police are taking witnesses reports that say Crotty was struck in the back by a piece of equipment that fell off of the aerial ladder.  Some reports say that it was a piece of the water piping that runs underneath the ladder.
 

Lawrence Park Fire Hall
(L. P. Township photo)

Lawrence Park VFD WEBPAGE.

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