Chris Granger, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
Michelle Hunter, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
on August 28, 2016 at 4:57 PM, updated August 29, 2016 at 12:23 AM
Firefighters, State Police troopers and ordinary citizens selflessly climbed over a guardrail, down 30 feet into alligator-infested canal waters to rescue three St. John the Baptist Parish firefighters thrown from an Interstate 10 bridge in LaPlace after they were hit by a party bus Sunday morning.
"It was a heroic effort, a lifesaving effort," St. John Sheriff Mike Tregre said. "The heroics I saw today, you'll never see on TV or in the movies. I saw a state trooper carry a firefighter who was pretty much unconscious, in full uniform and gear and everything, up a ladder."
The bus slammed into three firefighters, throwing them over the bridge and into the water below. One of the firefighters, St. John Fire District Chief Spencer Chauvin, 36, was pronounced dead shortly after he arrived at a local hospital, according to Trooper Melissa Matey, spokeswoman for the State Police.
Firefighters William "Mack" Beal and Nick Saale were were also taken to a local hospital, according to St. John Parish Spokeswoman Baileigh Rebowe Helm. Saale was still hospitalized in stable condition Sunday evening. Beal was released after treatment for minor injuries, she said.
Jermaine Starr, a 21-year-old from Moss Point, Miss., also died in the crash, State Police said Sunday evening.
Jermaine Starr, a 21-year-old from Moss Point, Miss., was identified by Louisiana State Police as one of two people who died in the crash
Denis Yasmir Amaya Rodriguez, 37, of Honduras, the bus driver accused of plowing into the firefighters, has no driver's license and entered the country illegally, Matey said. She said he will be booked into St. John the Baptist Correctional Center on charges of negligent homicide, reckless operation, and no driver's license, with additional charges expected.
Two crashes
The case is still under investigation, but State Police determined the accident actually involved two separate crashes. The first occurred about 6:40 a.m. when a pick-up truck headed westbound on I-10 and traveling too fast for the slick roadway hit the left guardrail near milepost 203 on the three-mile bridge in LaPlace, Matey said.
The truck bounced across to the other guardrail and came to a stop in the right lane and shoulder of the bridge. State Police troopers and St. John fire crews responded to the scene to shut down the interstate, blocking the highway with a ladder truck.
Around 7:17 a.m., Rodriguez was headed westbound in the left lane of I-10. Troopers aren't sure why, but Rodriguez's bus was also out of control and hit the fire truck blocking I-10.
The bus then crossed into the right lane of the highway and hit three firefighters, including Chauvin, who were standing between a State Police patrol car and the truck involved in the first crash.
"All three firemen were thrown over the side of the guardrail, into the water below," Matey said.
The bus also hit a Toyota Camry. Starr was a rear seat passenger in that car.
About two dozen passengers on the party bus suffered minor injuries, police said. They were taken to local hospitals for treatment.
Rescue effort
Fellow firefighters quickly scrambled to help their colleagues, who fell into the waist-deep water about 30 feet below the three-mile bridge. The waterway is fed by the nearby Reserve canal.
Tregre's office responded with a boat but firefighters, State Police troopers and at least one motorist had climbed down the side of the bridge to rescue the firefighters using a ladder.
"This was a regular ladder that you put on the side of the house," Tregre said.
Crews lifted Chauvin out of the water using a rescue basket. But at least one of the firefighters was carried up the ladder on the shoulder of a State Police trooper.
"He's in the water, soaking wet, with an unconscious firefighter who weighs about 240 pounds," Tregre said of the trooper. "He walked up that ladder backwards, with his arms under the firefighter's."
Tregre spotted at least three alligators in the waters as firefighters worked to save their colleagues.
"The heroics I saw today, oh my God, I'll see that the rest of my life," he said.
Party bus
State Police investigators determined Rodriguez was transporting passengers to an undisclosed location in the Baton Rouge area to work on flooded residences or businesses, Matey said.
He had no driver's license, nor did he have the authority to drive a commercial vehicle like a party bus.
State Police identified the owner of the bus as AM Party Bus and Kristina's Transportation LLC.
Kristina's Transportation LLC, an Old Jefferson company, is listed as the applicant for trade name, AM Party Bus, according to the Louisiana Secretary of State's Office.
A woman who answered the telephone number listed on AM Party Bus' website said Sunday afternoon that she only handles bookings for the vehicles and had no information about the incident.
Troopers are working to determine whether any mechanical failures occurred.
Father, dedicated firefighter
Messages of shock and grief flooded social media as news of Chauvin's death began to spread.
Friend Adam Price Tamplain wrote on Facebook, "Today, our community lost one of the bravest souls, a model citizen and one of its most dedicated servants. In my 10 years in the department I had the honor of serving alongside, and under Spencer. I am proud to be able to call him a friend and brother."
In a statement released Sunday afternoon, St. John the Baptist Parish President Natalie Robottom called Chauvin one of the bravest, most dedicated firefighters she knows.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, as well as to the families of the other two firefighters involved in the accident," Robottom said. "This type of loss will affect the entire department, and they will have our full support as they deal with the grief of losing a comrade."
Chauvin was married with two small children, according to Tregre. He had been a paid firefighter with the parish since 2004, Helm said.
Tregre called him a professional whose death was a tremendous loss for the community.
"There's no telling how many lives he's saved over the years," Trege said. Whether it was a house fire, a crash or a medical emergency, Chauvin was a caring problem solver who took charge and knew what needed to be done. "He loved being a public servant."
East Bank Consolidated Fire Department Superintendent Joe Greco called Chauvin's death in the line of duty a tragedy.
"We face this on a regular basis when we have to respond to a scene on the interstate and the highway. We all feel it in the first responder community," Greco said.
Despite the dangers, Chauvin's fellow firefighters acted without hesitation to save their colleagues – as he would have, according to Tregre. "Chief Chauvin would have done the same thing. There's no doubt," Tregre said. "He would have done whatever was necessary to save lives, just like he's been doing for years.