Pittsburgh firefighter dragged by car into utility pole

Pittsburgh firefighter Margaret (Peggy) Vath was seriously injured on November 5, 2003, when a car hit her and pinned her against a utility pole. Vath, who is 48, suffered multiple pelvic fractures in the crash.

According to news sources, the incident occurred after Engine Company 11, responding on a call, proceeded through an intersection with the green light. A passenger car driven by an 83-year-old woman ran the red light on the cross-street and hit the front of the fire engine.

Vath got out of the engine to check on the car's driver, but the driver put her car in reverse and backed into her, dragging her about 40 feet as Vath clutched the back of the vehicle, until it hit a utility pole, crushing Vath between the car and the pole.

She was taken to UPMC Presbyterian Medical Center, where she was initially in critical condition. She was moved to a rehab facility several days later, and then to a nursing home. Co-workers say she faces a long recovery, and will not be able to be on her feet for at least two months. One of the women who came on the job with Peggy told WFS, "She truly is lucky to be alive, and the news reports didn't convey all of what this accident entailed."

Vath has been with the department for 14 years and attended the 1993 WFS conference in Virginia. Get-well cards can be sent to her at Harmar Village, Room #227; 715 Freeport Road, Cheswick, PA 15024.

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