Name | Peter Christenson |
Agency | Chicago Fire Department |
Rank | Captain |
Type of Firefighter | Career |
Age Range | 51 to 55 |
Sex | Male |
Date of Birth | 0/0/0 |
Date of Death | 11/16/1924 |
Cause of Death | Vehicle collision |
Nature of Death | Trauma |
Attribute of Death | [not applicable] |
Type of Duty | Responding to/returning from incident |
Incident Name | N/A |
Incident City | Chicago |
Incident State | IL |
Incident Date | 11/16/1924 |
Incident Location | Street/Road |
Incident Attribute | Traffic accidents , False alarms |
On November 16, 1924, Chicago Fire Department Captain Peter Christenson and Firefighter Thomas Ryan were fatally injured in the line of duty when the Squad 9 fire truck collided with a taxicab while responding to a false alarm. The vehicles collided at the intersection of 46th and Lincoln Streets when the taxicab failed to yield to the fire truck’s right of way.
Christenson, a twenty-eight year veteran of the department, died on scene shortly after he was extricated from beneath the overturned fire truck. Ryan sustained a fractured leg and various cuts and bruises, and he died from his injuries the following day, November 17. Three other firefighters and the three occupants of the taxi were also injured, and the taxi driver was charged with manslaughter.
Citations:
“7 Killed and 18 Injured in Auto Wrecks,” Chicago Daily Tribune, November 17, 1924.
“Auto Hand on Clock of Death Pausing at 602,” Chicago Daily Tribune, November 18, 1924.
“Child, Woman, and Man Die in Motor Crashes,” Chicago Daily Tribune, November 20, 1924.