A 43-year-old volunteer firefighter in North Carolina died when the apparatus he was driving went out of control, rolled and struck a tree.

According to initial reports, the firefighter was driving a fire department pumper as it responded to a fire alarm at an elementary school. While enroute, he lost control as the apparatus entered a turn and went off the roadway on the right-hand side. The driver then corrected back to the center and corrected again to the right. At this point the pumper left the roadway on the right, struck an embankment, rolled and slid into a tree. The impact with the tree tore the roof off the cab of the apparatus. The victim was wearing safety restraints, but died as a result of the injuries sustained. There were no other personnel in the apparatus. The fire alarm at the school proved to be false.

For more information about this and other firefighter deaths in 2007, go to www.usfa.fema.gov/fatalities.