Metro Fire Engine Loses Fire Hose Along Highway, Several Vehicles Damaged

A metro woman says a fire hose fell off of an Oklahoma City fire truck and damaged her car.

Unable to afford the repairs, Taylor Qualia is left wondering who will foot the bill.

On Saturday, Qualia says she and her son were traveling along Interstate 35 near Northeast 122nd Street when suddenly she struck something with her vehicle. “I hit it, I lost control,” said impacted driver Taylor Qualia.               

Qualia says she and at least five other people were traveling around 60 miles an hour when they struck an object as they attempted to take an exit. “There was nobody on the highway, it was just bam, bam, bam,” said Qualia.         

Qualia pulled over immediately. “You could tell something was wrong, I steered to the shoulder and got out and said an obscenity,” said Qualia.     

She said the impact badly damaged her car’s undercarriage and wheels. “I have two flats and a bent rim,” said Qualia.

She says a firehose, that appeared several hundred feet in length, is responsible. “I didn't even know it was a firehose until I got out. I was like, what the heck?” said Qualia.

Qualia said while a firetruck was nowhere in sight, it appeared it had fallen off of one. “It's not like it fell off in one chunk. It hit the ground and it kept rolling out of their truck,” said Qualia.

Qualia said the Oklahoma City Fire Department showed up and retrieved the hose. “I guess when I called they realized they lost it and they came back to get it,” said Qualia. 

She says the city told her she'd have to file a tort claim, to re-coop the cost of repairs. A process she says her family can't afford. She says she and her husband depend on the one car to get to work and to shuttle around their six children. “My husband has missed two days of work,” said Qualia. 

News 9 reached out to the Oklahoma City Fire Department.

A spokesperson said the incident is under investigation. If the department is at fault, the city will pay to repair the vehicles.