EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) -
14 News has about some confusion when emergency crews responded to the deadly car fire Monday in Vanderburgh county.
14 News has obtained the 911 calls made to central dispatch and on the tape, you can hear how a dispatcher struggles to pinpoint the exact location of the accident.
The accident happened on Fickas Road.
Most think about the Fickas Road just north of 164, but it was actually on a Fickas Road near a field south of 164, and it took some time for everyone to figure that out.
When Christine Methena called 911 yesterday from her home on Fickas Road, she was afraid there would be confusion.
"We live out here in the country on Fickas Road," Methena said to dispatch. "Do you know where Mulzer Gravel is at?"
"I'm not really familiar with the area. What's the problem?" asked dispatch
"Well, the car looks like it's getting ready to explode," responded Methena.
According to central dispatch records, that call was made at 12:32 p.m., about the time Methena told 14 News she started seeing smoke coming from the car and knew something bad was about to happen.
"There's smoke and there's red sparks," Methena told dispatch. "It looks like they're on fire."
Records show it was about 22 minutes later that first deputy arrived on scene, but by that time, Methena says the car had already burst into flames and she had already placed another call to 911.
"I need to know, the deputy is not exactly familiar with. Does your driveway actually run off Fickas Road or Green River?" asked dispatch.
"Just come down the gravel road, there's no where else to go. Turn down that road, okay and we just heard another explosion," Methena says.
The first city fire truck dispatched went to the wrong Fickas Road. Records show it wasn't until 1:00 p.m. that the truck arrived at the actual fire.
"In an emergency situation, you want us to have every possible means to find your address as rapidly as possible," said Vanderburgh County Chief Deputy Dave Wedding
Wedding says in any emergency, the more precise your information is, the better. Some roads closer to the river bottoms, even some farm access roads, don't have names, which complicate the issue even more.
"If you know you're on the part that's less traveled or less populated, you better make sure they know," Wedding noted.
This happened in an area that used to be covered by the Knight Township Fire Department. It's now covered by the Evansville Fire Department.
Barbara Buchanan, 73, died in what the Sheriff's Office calls a very tragic accident.
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