Incident Name: Jeep rollover returning to Ahtanum Work Center
Date: 9/27/2012
Personnel: 2 lives lost
Age:
Agency/Organization: Washington DNR, Ahtanum Type 2 IA Handcrew
Position: firefighters
Summary:
Matthew Aaron Trost, age 20, of Canyon County, CA
Samuel F. Amaral-Galloway, also called Sam Galloway by friends, age 20, of Yakima, WA
Sam Amaral-Galloway and Matthew Trost were killed when Sam’s 1999 Jeep Wrangler went off the side of a logging road and rolled 480 feet before coming to rest. Both were wearing their seat belts. The crash occurred on the A3000 Road in the Ahtanum Creek area west of Tampico sometime between 8 PM Thursday (9/27) and 6 AM Friday (9/28). The two seasonal firefighters had been fighting Washington lightning fires with their Ahtanum Type 2IA Crew, been on a mandatory R&R and were returning to a camp at the Ahtanum Work Center on North Fork Road.
Photo of Matt from the Ahtanum Crew video, 2011. (YouTube link below.) Photo of Sam in his West Valley FD turnouts.
Maps
on the A3000 Road in the Ahtanum Creek area west of Tampico; the A3000 Road is an unpaved but graveled extension of North Fork Road.
{mosmap lat=’46.527100’|lon=’-121.106500’|marker=’0’|text=’Approximate Accident Location’}
Reports, Documentation, Lessons Learned
- Message from Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Todd Welker to the Southeast Region Fire Family, crewmembers and coworkers: Update on the Passing of Our Two Firefighters (18 K pdf)
Wildlandfire.com Links:
- There are many crew pictures of the Washington DNR Ahtanum 20 Crew posted on the wildlandfire.com photo pages through the years and of the California Angeles National Forest Roadrunners 77 crew, where Matt trained and worked prior to the Ahtanum Crew. He was stellar. In addition to the Athanum Crew, Sam also worked on an engine for the West Valley Fire Department. Facebook comments and comments at KNDOTV reveal how highly others thought of Sam. For example, see the comment by Ed Campbell (FEMA). These two young men were promising career wildland firefighters. Their deaths are a loss to all of us. Ab.
- Hotlist: Condolences Thread
- Hotlist: PNW Condolences
Media Articles and Reports
- Video News Report: Two Men Are Dead after Car Accident in Ahtanum State ForestSept 28, 2012 | kndu/kndo television news
Video: Shows rescue units and their crew getting ready to rappel from the road.
- Two men killed in car crash west of TampicoSep 28, 2012 at 6:57 PM PDT | kimatv.com
TAMPICO, Wash. — Two men were killed in an accident West of Tampico. Investigators say sometime overnight, a Jeep went off North Fork Road and fell 500-feet down a ravine. Troopers say both men were wearing seatbelts but could not survive the massive fall. The driver has been identified as 20-year old Samuel Amaral. The name of his passenger has not been released. It doesn’t appear Amaral was under the influence, so troopers still hope to figure out how the Jeep tumbled off the road.
- Two seasonal firefighters killed in car accidentSept 28, 2012 | Yakima Herald-Republic (no longer onlline)
YAKIMA, Wash. — Two seasonal firefighters were killed when their Jeep went off the side of a logging road and rolled nearly 500 feet before coming to rest. The crash happened on the A3000 Road in the Ahtanum Creek area west of Tampico sometime between 8 p.m. Thursday and 6 a.m. Friday, according to the Washington State Patrol. The driver was identified as Samuel F. Amaral, 20, of Yakima. The passenger was identified as Matthew A. Trost, 20, of Canyon County, Calif.
Lt. Terry Liebrecht said the two men were off-duty seasonal firefighters who had been returning to a camp at the Ahtanum Work Center on North Fork Road. They were traveling in a 1999 Jeep Wrangler that went off the road and rolled 480 feet. The A3000 Road is an unpaved but graveled extension of North Fork Road.
Both men were pronounced dead at the scene. Rescue personnel struggled for hours to reach the scene and retrieve the bodies. The crash was discovered after a rancher checking on cattle in the area reported skids marks leading off the side of the road.
The cause of the crash is under investigation. Liebrecht said neither drugs nor alcohol appeared to be a factor and that the Jeep simply got too close to the edge of the road.
Photos, Videos, & Tributes
- A video by Matt for the Ahtanum Crew, season 2011, posted on YouTube, mentioned on theysaid last year.
- Sam and Matt are not pictured, but here are some Facebook photos of the Athanum Handcrew, their fire family,
- KNDO Facebook Wall photo 1 and photo 2 of their crew getting ready for retrieval; include comments and well-wishes of friends and coworkers 9/28/12.
- Memorial service for Sam: Saturday, October 6, 2012, 1PM, Yakima High School, Yakima
- Memorial service for Matt will be held in Canyon Country, California on the afternoon of Saturday, October 13, 2012.
- If you would like to make a donation to Matthew Trost’s Family, please walk into any Well’s Fargo branch and make the donation payable to Account #: 2937124945.
- Message from Leonard Young, Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) sharing information and announcing the memorial service for Sam (23 K pdf)
Contributors to this article: Sammie, LMD, RJM, Mellie.
Please support the Wildland Firefighter Foundation
R.I.P Samuel Galloway,
You were a great friend. You always had a smile on your face no matter how you felt about things. You kept everyone happy and you gave people hope that great things can happen if you just believe in yourself and that you can do it if you put your heart and mind into it. You will never be forgotten Sam. We all love you and you will always be in our hearts… We will see each other soon… Until then, watch over us and be there when nobody else is. Your my best friend Sammy and I will never forget you.. You have your own place in my heart where nothing else is going to take that away no matter what they say… Miss you friend…
Love always,
Meghan Martz
Matthew Trost!
You are an amazing friend! We sat in class talking everyday my sophmore year! I always talked to you about everything! I remember you where telling me how your gonna go into fire after you graduate and I always thought that was cool! You always made me smile! After you graduated we haven’t talked! We had good memories my sophmore year! I remember I was in my cheer uniform and you where in ur football jersey and you would always try to learn our cheers hahah! I miss you so much matt! You where a good friend to all of us! U are my bestfriend and my hero! I love you! And I miss you sooo much! R.I.P!
from the Ab account:
Celebration of life for Matthew Trost:
Saturday, I had the honor of attending the celebration of life for Matthew Trost held at his family’s home here in Southern California.
The parents of Samuel Amaral-Galloway graciously came to support Matt’s family and friends.
Ben Goble and Stephen Sewell brought the Ahtanum Hand Crew all the way from Yakima, Wa. Many members of past Rio Hondo Wildland Fire Academy classes came out to show their support. The Angeles National Forest was represented by several engine crews and members of Explorer Post 99. The Rivers and Mountains Conservancy was represented as well.
While this was a somber event it was truly a celebration of Matt’s life which included music he had written, funny stories from his childhood and crew members recounting humorous events on fires.
This event was a good reminder of the unseen thread that runs thru the fire community. From a retired Los Angeles County member who first “beat weeds” in 1961 to the youngest member of the Roadrunners who saw his first fire this season, we share a bond forged thru common experiences earned on fires from the deserts of the Southwest to the timber of the Northwest and all points in between.
It was also a reminder of how fragile life can be. How quickly those whom we care about can disappear and how much we need, whether we know it or not, the support of family, friends and coworkers.
I hope all of us will cherish our friends, coworkers and families and let them know how much they mean to us every day and not just in times of need.
As I drove home that night I thought how fortunate I was to have chosen a profession which, even in times of sorrow, comes together to support friends and family.
John R. Bennett
USFS Ret.
Lead Instructor
Rio Hondo College
Wildland Fire Academy
Thank you for everyone that came to the memorial. Me and my family deeply appreciate your support. The life of my brother Matthew and his crew mate Sam will never be forgotten.
Sincerely,
Jacob Andrew Trost