Firefighter Who Was Accused Of DUI Crash With Motorcycle Appears In Court

A former San Francisco firefighter indicted on DUI charges earlier this week for a 2013 crash between a motorcycle and the fire truck he was driving appeared in San Francisco Superior Court this morning.

Michael Quinn, 43, did not enter a plea this morning on three felony charges that include DUI causing injury and driving a commercial motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content of .04 percent or higher.

Quinn’s arraignment was rescheduled for April 21.

He remains out of custody on $100,000 bail, according to the district attorney’s office.

Quinn was arrested after the crash on the night of June 28, 2013, at Fifth and Howard streets. The motorcyclist suffered serious injuries in the crash.

Quinn was released from custody shortly after his arrest and the district attorney’s office dropped the case last July pending further investigation. On Monday, Quinn was indicted by a grand jury.

After his arrest last summer, Quinn was placed on unpaid leave and never returned to work, according to San Francisco fire spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge.

Prior to his November 2013 resignation, Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White had recommended that the city’s Fire Commission fire Quinn.
Quinn, was a 23-year veteran of the department who had worked out of Station 1, located at 935 Folsom St.

Before the incident, Quinn had no disciplinary record and had received two merit awards for his actions as a firefighter, said Tom O’Connor, president of San Francisco Firefighters Local 798, the union representing the city’s firefighters.

Sasha Lekach, Bay City News

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