ALTAMONT — Although his bones are broken and his muscles are torn, Timothy McIntyre doesn’t pity himself, but rather has sympathy for the woman who caused his accident.
"It was a fluke accident and I feel sorry for her," he told The Enterprise. "I’m sorry she had to be a part of it."

The woman was driving a tractor trailer at the Northeastern Industrial Park last Thursday as McIntyre, an East Berne fireman who volunteers days for the Altamont Fire Department, was getting ready to battle a blaze at a grain mill.

McIntyre was hooking a hose to a hydrant when the woman drove over the hose. McIntyre didn’t see any of this, he said; he only felt what happened next.

The hose wrapped around the wheel of the truck and around McIntyre’s leg, he said. It flipped him upside down and slammed him into the truck, pinning him there.
"The pain was instantaneous," he said. "I didn’t even know what happened. All I remember is flying around and hanging upside down."

Witnesses described his grisly screams and word about the accident ripped through the village. McIntyre is also Altamont’s superintendent of public works and was honored this summer as a citizen of the year.
"He goes above and beyond what he needs to do as head of public works," said Beth Shaw, president of Altamont Community Tradition, at the time the honor was bestowed.

Just last week, The Enterprise published a letter from a grateful Altamont family who said McIntyre saved their Thanksgiving by working on the holiday to fix a broken water main.

McIntyre was taken to Albany Medical Center last Thursday and treated for several breaks in his leg and torn muscles, he said. By dinnertime, he was home.

MyIntyre is still in much pain, he told The Enterprise this week. He must keep his leg elevated so it doesn’t swell. He will wear a cast for six weeks, he said.

It’s unusual for an Altamont firefighter to get hurt, said Chief Daniel Madison.
"This is the first person in years to be taken to the hospital for a serious injury. Even though we’re volunteers, it is still possible to get hurt," he said. "I don’t consider it a successful call if people are hurt."
But, Madison added, McIntyre’s accident was out of his control. "He did nothing wrong," Madison said.

Although it’s the first time McIntyre’s been hurt on the job, that won’t deter him from going back, he said.

When asked if he’s considered a lawsuit, McIntyre spoke instead of how awful he feels for the woman driving the tractor trailer.
McIntyre began volunteering for the fire department 10 years ago. Asked why he joined, he said, "For the sense of community and to give a little back. If my house was on fire, I’d want somebody to come."

He will return to his job with the village’s public works department soon, he said. He will do paperwork and other tasks until he’s on his feet.

McIntyre said he’s received amazing support from the village and its residents, and from other firefighters.
"It was just an unfortunate accident," he said. "I hope it doesn’t happen to anybody else."

Tough week

The fire in Guilderland Center last Thursday was one of two that Altamont firefighters helped put out in the past week. On Sunday, a house caught fire on Park Street.

Besides McIntyre, there were no other injuries and both fires were controlled quickly.

Although last Thursday’s fire was within the boundaries of the Northeastern Industrial Park, the building that caught on fire is privately owned. It is the United Cooperative Farmers, a livestock feed mill.

A machine caught fire there on the third story of the building, McIntyre said.

Guilderland Center was the main fire department at the scene, he said, but, in addition to Altamont, members of the Guilderland, Fort Hunter, and Westmere departments responded.

Rescue squad workers were nearby, which came in handy as they witnessed McIntyre’s accident, he said.

Chief Madison told The Enterprise about the fire on Park Street. It didn’t take long to control, he said, and no one was hurt.

Sunday at 10:45 p.m., Altamont firefighters received a call that a house at 111 Park Street, across from the post office, was burning. Witnesses reported seeing flames shoot 30 feet into the air.

The fire was in two bedrooms on the second floor of the home, Madison said. The two adults who lived there, an elderly woman and her son, were awakened by smoke detectors, he said. When the fire department arrived, they were both out of the house and safe, he said.

It didn’t take long to contain the fire, Madison said. The cause is unknown and is being investigated by Guilderland fire inspectors, he said.
The second floor of the house needs "heavy-duty repair work," Madison said, as it has heat and water damage.

The two residents are staying with family, he said.

Members of the Guilderland Center and Guilderland fire departments helped put out the fire, Madison said. Members of Guilderland’s Emergency Medical Services and the Altamont Rescue Squad were also on the scene, checking the firefighters’ blood pressures and standing by to provide any necessary medical assistance.