Preston Fire Fighter Injured In Accident Saturday

A firefighter from Preston is recovering in a trauma ICU after being ejected from a fire truck during a rollover crash on Saturday afternoon. Jared Bennett and John Sanchez were en route to a fire south of Preston when they encountered another car driving head-on toward them in the same lane on Route D, two miles south of Preston in Hickory County.

To avoid the oncoming vehicle, the fire truck veered off the road, overcorrected, crossed the centerline, and crashed into a ditch, causing Bennett to be thrown out of the windshield. Bennett, who is also the son of Preston Fire Chief Brian Bennett, suffered severe injuries, including broken ribs and a broken sternum. Sanchez was transported to Mercy Hospital with serious injuries. Authorities continue to search for the other vehicle involved in the accident.