GAINESVILLE, Ga. -- Frayed cables and a defective pulley. They are at the heart of a 62 page report detailing what caused three firefighters to fall 40 feet to the ground, as the ladder truck they were training on collapsed.
Investigators believe damage to one of the cables existed "prior to the accident" and that the cable's pulley - or sheave - was "worn, damaged or improperly manufactured." In one picture included in the report, you can see the sheave is too small, and unable to fit the cable that's supposed to run through it.
After the crash, the county came under fire as 11Alive News uncovered the truck's long history of mechanical problems.
RELATED | Hall County letter
RELATED | Report of findings
The truck was once owned by the Bluffton Township Fire Department in South Carolina. In four years, Bluffton says it tried six times to fix problems with the ladder and extension cables and eventually lost all confidence in the truck, due its catastrophic and consistent failures.
The truck manufacturer, Sutphen, agreed to buy back the truck. Three months later records show, it sold the truck to Hall County, with the promise it would be restored to factory specifications.
Hall County says it was told the truck was returned to Sutphen due to a "dispute involving maintenance issues" and that the truck had never "had a design failure."
The county now says both of those statements were false, but has still agreed to settle instead of take the company to court. In a confidential agreement, obtained through an open records request, 11Alive learned Sutphen agreed to buy back the truck for $505,000, the same amount the county paid when purchasing it. But in doing so, it does not admit any wrongdoing. The company has repeatedly declined 11Alive's request for comment.
An internal investigation summary concluded, "there is no evidence that anyone with Hall County had prior knowledge of any prior equipment failures involving Sutphen vehicles, thus decisions to move forward with the purchase of the vehicle were made in good faith."
11Alive asked the Bluffton Fire Chief if anyone had tried to contact them for more information. Chief Payne said he was "unable to locate any evidence or documentation to the effect that any member of (his) department was contacted by or had spoken with any representative of Hall County prior to the unfortunate incident."
