Jun 11, 2009 10:00 am US/Pacific
Colo. Man's Pride & Joy Crushed by Fire Truck
By Paul Day
EVERGREEN, Colo. (CBS) ―
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A fire truck squashed Bill Vickery's Firebird where it was parked under a tarp in Vickery's driveway.
CBS
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The Firebird before it was damaged by the fire truck.
CBS
All that's left of a vintage 1969 Pontiac Firebird sits crushed like a soda can, CBS station KCNC-TV reports.
"You know it's sad, I just feel for my Dad," said Shelbi Vickery.
The owner of the flattened car is her father, Bill.
"It was a beautiful car, it was my baby," he said with a sigh.
On Tuesday, an Evergreen fire truck drove off the road and flipped above the Vickery home on Floyd Hill.
"It rolled side-to-side and landed back on its wheels," explained Bill.
The big engine had squashed the Firebird where it was parked under a tarp in Vickery's driveway.
The Pontiac was precious to Bill. He's spent the past 30 years restoring it. The dark green car had been raced at Bandimere Speedway and was a fixture at car shows.
Bill wasn't home at the time, but Shelbi was and rushed outside.
"When I talked to the fire truck driver, he was speechless."
She says she kept asking if he was alright but the firefighter couldn't respond. He'd suffered minor neck and shoulder injuries and was the only person on board the fire truck.
The driver told his chief he'd moved the truck to the right to let a passing truck go by and the road shoulder gave way.
Just recently, Bill had been tinkering on the vintage car parked in the very same spot.
"It kind of alarms me. I don't think I'm going to be working on my cars here until they get a guardrail put in." Bill said.
Bill's camper, his garage and his ATV were also damaged in the same accident. The total dollar loss is estimated at $60,000.
Evergreen Fire Department will turn over the damage claim to its insurance carrier. But even if a replacement 69 Firebird could be found, Bill says it will never be the same.
"There's a lot of sentimental value that can't be replaced," Bill said.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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