Four Firefighters Injured After Ice Bucket Challenge Goes Terribly Wrong

Ugh. So much ugh. It’s stuff like this that makes the Ice Bucket Challenge haters go “I TOLD YOU SO!”  Four firefighters in Campbellsville, Kentucky were injured when a ladder truck they were using to do the ice bucket challenge came in contact with power lines. Two are expected to be released from the local hospital today. The other two firefighters were transported to University of Louisville Hospital, where one is in critical condition and the other is in fair condition, according to WAVE 3. Here’s what happened, according to the local news station:

The incident happened around 11:45 a.m. Aug. 21 near Chandler Avenue and Spring Street, right outside the university’s football and baseball facilities.
Sources say the incident happened when the fire truck’s aerial basket touched power lines. Power went out across a wide portion of the Campbellsville area, but has since been restored. An LG&E-KU spokesperson said 4,500 customers were without power shortly after noon.
Via Twitter, Campbellsville University said no students were injured in the incident. A prayer service has been scheduled for 7 p.m. on Stapp Lawn.
“We express heartfelt sympathy and prayers for the families of the two firefighters who were injured,” said CU President Dr. Michael V. Carter in a statement posted on the university’s website.

 

This has always been the worst fear with the Ice Bucket challenge. While raising money and awareness for ALS is great, no one wants to hear about a careless accident happening just because one party wanted to out-do the other party. This is the type of thing that aggravates people about social media slacktivism.

Ugh. Let’s hope everyone makes a swift recovery.

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Brandon Wenerd is BroBible's publisher, writing on this site since 2009. He writes about sports, music, men's fashion, outdoor gear, traveling, skiing, and epic adventures. Based in Los Angeles, he also enjoys interviewing athletes and entertainers. Proud Penn State alum, former New Yorker. Email: brandon@brobible.com