Arizona Battalion Chief Cited in Fatal Accident

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Posted by: cvarone 3 hours ago 0

A battalion chief from Kingman, Arizona has been cited in the traffic death of an elderly woman last July.

On July 7, 2014 Emily Jeanne MacDonald, 75, was crossing the street when she was struck by a Kingman Fire Department pickup truck driven by Battalion Chief Bill Johnston. MacDonald was in a crosswalk at the time. She died two days later.

The accident was initially investigated by the Kingman Police Department, and later by the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Last Friday, DPS issued Chief Johnston a citation for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

Attorneys for MacDonald’s family have expressed frustration with the length of time it has taken for DPS to complete its investigation. The attorneys are seek $1.5 million for MacDonald’s wrongful death.

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Curt Varone has over 41 years of fire service experience and 29 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.