Kilgore Firefighter Death Lawsuit Trial Begins

LONGVIEW — The man sent to show Kilgore firefighters how to use a new ladder truck did not bring or use a safety belt before a January 2009 training exercise that resulted in the deaths of two firefighters, testimony in a wrongful death lawsuit revealed Wednesday. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. Doug Fleming, an instructor with the maker of the 95-foot aerial platform truck the city of Kilgore bought in December 2008, also did not include the use of safety belts in the presentation he gave firefighters when the truck was delivered. That’s according to his testimony, provided by videotape Wednesday in a lawsuit brought by the widow, mother and two children of Kilgore firefighter Kyle Perkins. The family is suing E-One and Hall-Mark Fire Apparatus, respectively the maker and distributor of the ladder truck.