Why Fire Truck Fell Through Hospital Deck

It was the last thing the volunteers of West Chester's Goodwill Fire Company expected when they arrived at Paoli Hospital to grant a commrade's dying wish.

As three fire trucks were getting in position to provide a ceremonial escort for a 25 year department volunteer who was being taken to a hospice, one of the engines partially fell through a parking deck near the hospital's Emergency Room entrance.

A hospital spokeswoman says the engine was simply too heavy for the deck to support. There were no weight warning or advisory signs on the ground level deck.  The spokeswoman says they were not required under any regulation.

As Goodwill's Engine 52-2 and two other fire trucks waited for Jimmy Graham to be discharged from the hospital, the right rear wheels fell through the deck. Engine 52-2 was stuck for more than five hours until a crane could lift it out of the hole and a steel plate could be put over the hole.

Hospital Spokeswoman Bridget Therriault told TE Patch on Friday that repairs to the 20-year-old deck are expected to be completed this week. She says the hospital is looking into posting signs warning of weight limits on the deck.

Nobody was injured when the decking gave way. Cars in the garage under the deck were removed without incident and that section of the underground parking area remains cordoned off.

Goodwill Fire Company Firefighter J