Deputies Say Speed and Alcohol Suspected in Serious Injury Crash with Fire Truck in Indian Shores
A woman was seriously injured after a vehicle crash that occurred at approximately 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, September 25, 2018.
The crash occurred in the area of Gulf Boulevard and 183rd Avenue in Indian Shores, Florida.
The driver of the 1995 GMC Jimmy, 54 year-old Johanna Costello of Largo, was entrapped in the vehicle which required cutting of the vehicle to free her.
The decision was made to dispatch Bayflite due to the extent of her injuries and time required to free her. The helicopter landed at the nearby Park Blvd boat ramp.
Deputies assigned to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Major Accident Investigation Team (M.A.I.T.) are currently investigating the two vehicle crash.
According to investigators, Firefighter Kurt Crevier from the Pinellas Suncoast Fire & Rescue was out testing a new 2018 Pierce Manufacturing fire truck with two fellow firefighters, traveling southbound on Gulf Boulevard.
Firefighter Crevier made a left turn from Gulf Boulevard, eastbound into a business at 18399 Gulf Boulevard.
Investigators say as the fire truck was turning into the business, 54-year-old Johanna Costello was driving northbound in the median lane of Gulf Boulevard when she crashed into the passenger side, last four feet of the fire truck.
Costello suffered serious non-life threatening injuries and was flown to St. Joseph’s Hospital. Firefighter Crevier and his fellow fireman, Brooke Waring, and Matthew Tomilonus, were not injured.
Investigators suspect alcohol and speed were both factors in the crash.
Criminal charges are pending for Costello.
The crash involved Truck 28 which was recently acquired by Pinellas Suncoast Fire & Rescue. Crew members were still training on the vehicle which was not yet officially placed into service.
The crash remains under investigation.