MACOUPIN COUNTY, Ill. — A fire chief was killed Thursday afternoon after being run over by a fire truck as it was backing up.
The Telegraph reported that the Medora Fire Department was called to a medical emergency for a man suffering from an apparent broken leg after falling from a tree limb.
Fire engine driver Patrick Cullum, 46, was preparing to close a rural road so a helicopter could land, according to the report. That’s when Fire Chief Kenneth Lehr, 59, was struck by the rig as it was backing up. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police are reconstructing the crash as part of the investigation.
Lehr had been the department’s chief for about eight years. The volunteer department has more than 20 firefighters.