CUMBERLAND COUNTY, N.C. — Dashcam video captured the moment a car struck a firefighter in Cumberland County while working at the scene of a motor vehicle collision, the Cotton Volunteer Fire Department reported.
The initial crash occurred at approximately 8:00 a.m. on May 2 on U.S. Highway 301 North. While first responders were working, a passing vehicle struck another car, a fire engine and Cotton Firefighter Waymon Hudson, WRAL reported.
“I looked at the car, and I remember saying ‘this is going to hurt,’” Hudson said. “I saw the sky, the road and I was lying down on the road looking at everyone looking down on me.”
The video also shows first responders rushing to aid firefighter Hudson, who was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He later shared that he broke five ribs and expects a 6-to-8 week recovery. In a Facebook post, Hudson wrote, “This was completely preventable. A lot of lives could have been lost here.”
According to the N.C. State Highway Patrol, the driver was cited for not having a valid license and failing to reduce speed. North Carolina’s move-over law requires drivers to slow down or switch lanes when approaching stopped emergency vehicles.
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