Waxahacie FF Struck by Vehicle During Fill the Boot : Chief Suspends Campaign

A passing vehicle struck a Waxahachie firefighter near the intersection of Marvin and Ferris avenues at about 3:27 p.m. Thursday. The firefighter was working with three others during the department’s annual Fill the Boot campaign benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The fireman, Marcus L. Brown, 32, was transported by ground ambulance to Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, where he was treated and released.

According to the accident report, a 2006 Lincoln Mark LT pickup driven by Charlie L. Smith, 49, of Waxahachie was turning left from Cow Path Alley. Smith told police that, as he turned left, another vehicle stopped in front of him, causing him to turn into the inside lane.

Smith told police Brown was standing in the roadway and stepped in front of him as he completed his turn, according to the report, which indicates several witnesses to the accident.

The fire department had just started its three-day benefit fundraiser campaign at 10 a.m. Thursday. Fill the Boot has been held in the city for more than 20 years. During last year’s campaign, members raised a little more than $14,000 from public contributions and had a goal of $15,000 for this year’s drive.

Crews of three to four firefighters had rotated throughout the day at the intersections of Marvin and Ferris avenues and at Indian Drive and U.S. Highway 77, collecting donations in a large boot.

“Typically, this has been a fundraiser that firefighters from around the country have done to benefit MDA,” said campaign coordinator Capt. Don Alexander in an interview with the Daily Light prior to the accident. “The public has been really generous in the past and so far this year – and that is what really surprises a lot of the young guys who do this because they don’t expect it.”

Responding to the accident scene were additional personnel from the Waxahachie Fire Department along with the Waxahachie Police Department and East Texas EMS.

Fire Chief David Hudgins said that, due to the accident, the Fill the Boot campaign is suspended until further review for safety considerations.

“We have done this drive for years and never have had a problem or an accident until today,” he said. “Now, with traffic the way it is, we will have to re-evaluate it.

“We will be contacting several businesses in the area to do the campaign in front of their stores in the future,” he said. “We will no longer work on the streets.”

By ANDREW BRANCA
Daily Light staff writer