Drunk Volunteer Fire Fighter Clips Cop With Car

United States (New York) - A drunk volunteer firefighter responding to a blaze on Curry Road early this morning struck a police officer who was directing traffic at the scene, police said. The incident unfolded just after midnight when, police say 42-year-old Thomas M. Fortune, a captain in the Stanford Heights Fire Department in Colonie, sped past Officer Don Jones, who was trying to control traffic in front of the fire scene at 2729 Curry Road.

Fortune's 1999 Saturn sedan clipped Jones' right arm and kept going, prompting Officers Mike Minette and Joe Mazzone to give chase and ultimately stop him, police said.

Police said Fortune was discovered to have a blood-alcohol content of .15 percent, just shy of twice the .08 percent legal limit, and was charged with driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, reckless endangerment and failure to comply with a lawful order.

Jones was treated by Guilderland EMS. The extent of his injury was not immediately clear.

Fortune, who police said also works as an investigator for the state Department of Health, is due in court May 20.

Meanwhile, investigators are also still probing the cause of the fire at the home. No one was injured in the blaze.

Written by Times Union