By Bill Carey
FireRescue1
WARE COUNTY, Ga. — A Georgia firefighter is facing multiple charges including DUI in a traffic crash that killed his coworker in June, according to jail records.
Ware County Firefighter Luke Zimmerman has been charged with first-degree vehicular homicide, DUI, driving at an excessive speed given the conditions and failing to maintain lanes, First Coast News reported.
[RELATED: Ga. FF killed in fire truck rollover]
After his arrest on Oct. 27, Zimmerman was subsequently released on a $30,750 bond, having spent three days in jail.
On June 22, first responders were dispatched to a single-vehicle crash on Manor Millwood Road near Manor Waresboro Road. Ware County 911 advised that a fire truck had overturned in a ditch and that the occupants were trapped inside.
According to the Georgia Department of Public Safety incident report, Zimmerman told an officer that he and Firefighter Bobby Smith were inspecting fire hydrants. Zimmerman admitted that he may have taken a curve too quickly, leading to a loss of control. Smith was partially ejected and pinned under the fire truck. He was later pronounced dead on the scene.
The report indicates that Zimmerman was transported to a nearby hospital, where he consented to a blood draw.
The toxicology reports revealed that Zimmerman’s blood alcohol level was .216, almost three times the legal limit.