A legal action concerning a tragic fire truck accident claims that the firefighter operating the truck was “highly intoxicated” prior to the start of his shift.

On Sunday, April 7, 2019, around 9 a.m., Phoenix Fire Truck 18 was responding to a call with sirens and lights activated. Subsequent investigation by police revealed that the truck was going up to 69 mph in a 40 mph zone. However, the fire department’s policy prohibits drivers from exceeding the speed limit by more than 10 mph when responding to an emergency call.

The surveillance footage showed the fire truck just prior to the collision, but the exact moment of the crash with the small pickup coming from the opposite way attempting to make a left turn from the middle lane was not recorded.

Kenneth “Chase” Collins, aged 20, who was driving the pickup, along with his girlfriend, Dariana Serrano, and their baby son were killed as a result of the accident.

Paul Kalkbrenner, the driver of the fire truck, informed police investigators that Collins was rapidly approaching him, and the only thing he could do was hit his brakes and turn hard right in an effort to dodge the other vehicle.

Kalkbrenner aunt, Kara Kalkbrenner, was the fire chief of the city at the time of the crash. Disciplinary records demonstrate he was suspended for two shifts due to his excessive speed. The police investigation took the speed of the fire truck into account, but eventually attributed the incident to Collins’ attempt to make a turn in front of it.

The City of Phoenix has already made a payment of up to $3 million in a lawsuit brought up by Serrano’s mother due to an unfortunate death. Now, another lawsuit has been filed this week on behalf of Collins’ other child, who was absent during the crash, asserting that not only speed but also negligence of the fire department and Kalkbrenner contributed to the crash.

It is claimed in the legal action that the Phoenix Fire Department was careless in giving a fire engine to somebody with substance misuse problems.

The lawsuit alleges that Kalkbrenner had turned up to work while impaired and would “sleep it off”. In 2017, he sent a text indicating he was “called in for a partial OT shift,” and that he had “had a few cocktails” but to “shhhhh don’t tell anyone.” He stated it was “easy money”.

In the legal action, an affidavit from Paul Kalkbrenner’s former wife was included. She is a law enforcement officer from the Valley and she testified that on April 6, 2019, she encountered Paul at 11:30 p.m. only a few hours before the incident, and he showed signs of extreme intoxication, such as having red and watery eyes and a bottle of vodka seemingly emptied.

The following day, the ex-wife recalled being present when a social worker spoke with Kalkbrenner; she stated that the social worker informed him of the results of his alcohol test and offered him assistance, which Paul declined.

The ex-spouse reported that a firefighter at the medical facility had expressed regret to her “for furnishing Paul with the marijuana gummies which he recently consumed.” At that time, only those with medical marijuana cards had the legal right to use marijuana in Arizona.

It is only now becoming apparent that no physical evidence was gathered by either the fire department or the Phoenix police to confirm or deny the presence of intoxication. Investigators on the scene made no attempts to conduct field sobriety tests, blood draws, or breathalyzer tests on Kalkbrenner at the time of the accident. Additionally, the report failed to include any results from the blood tests undertaken by medical staff.

In the police reports, no mention is made of search warrants or any evidence gathered from Kalkbrenner’s phone, unlike the information accessed from Collins’ and Serrano’s cellular devices, which were procured with the help of such warrants.

Kalkbrenner is still employed by the City Phoenix Fire Department as a fire engineer for the city, which includes driving fire equipment.