By Kevin Cole
Omaha World-Herald
OMAHA — Two Omaha firefighters who were injured when a car slid into them on Interstate 80 said Monday that there was little they could have done to avoid getting hit.
About 11:30 p.m. Saturday, firefighter Tom Bartek, 34, and acting Capt. Seth Gruber, 31, were on eastbound Interstate 80 near 42nd Street, trying to help one of several drivers involved in crashes, when a Chevrolet Tahoe careened toward them on the edge of the icy highway.
“Before we could cross to help the driver of one accident with his car wedged into a concrete barrier, another car came sliding at us sideways,” Gruber said Monday. “I dove out of the way, but the car, or a piece of debris, hit my ankle.
“The car hit a utility pole, and I think that saved our lives.”
Bartek was thrown down an embankment, landing about 50 feet from the edge of the highway. He broke his right arm in three places and suffered a concussion.
Firefighters and paramedics at the scene rushed to Bartek’s aid and soon found themselves in the path of another vehicle sliding down the embankment.
“I don’t remember much other than I was on all fours when I came around and saw the second car was starting down the hill,” Bartek said.
The car came to rest about 15 feet away, Gruber said. That driver and the driver of the SUV were not injured. Alcohol was not a factor, Omaha police said.
Police said the icy road conditions contributed to numerous crashes in the area.
An Omaha police dispatcher said more than 30 accidents were reported Saturday night and into Sunday. Many calls came from Interstate 80.
“I don’t know what else we could have done except to stay back on the on-ramp and waited for police to close down the Interstate, but that goes against our training,” Gruber said. “We were just trying to get as many people out of danger as we could.”
Gruber and Bartek, both sixyear veterans of the Fire Department, were kept overnight at Creighton University Medical Center for observation. Both were released Sunday morning. Gruber already has returned to work.
Bartek said he will be assigned to light duties for four to six weeks while his arm heals.
“My wife and I have been overwhelmed by callers and people dropping off food,” Bartek said. “You realize people really do care.”
Both men made pleas for drivers to be more careful as the winter storm season sweeps in.
“The weather made it a rough night throughout the city on Saturday,” Gruber said. “The police were overwhelmed by calls, and they couldn’t be everywhere. The bottom line is (rescue personnel) still have to go out there to help people whether police close the road or not.
“People can help us and themselves by using common sense when road conditions get bad. Slow down, be prepared to stop, and use your seat belts.”