By F.M. Wiggins
The Progress
PRINCE GEORGE, Va. — County police are still investigating a collision at the intersection of U.S. Route 460 and Bull Hill Road that involved a fire engine responding to a call Wednesday afternoon.
Prince George Fire, Emergency Medical Services and Emergency Management Training Officer Brad Owens said the fire engine from Company 1 was responding to a call of a structure fire in the southernof the county.
"[The fire engine] was attempting to cross U.S. 460. When it appeared that all the cars had stopped it started to cross," Owens said. He added that the fire engine had its lights and sirens activated while it was responding to the fire call.
That's when a tractor-trailer hauling pizza sauce to Sussex County collided with the fire engine.
"It was a very severe impact," Owens said. The impact was so severe that the fire engine, which had been headed south on Bull Hill Road, ended up facing North in the middle of the intersection. "A truck like that weighs about 50,000 to 60,000 pounds."
Three firefighters were injured in the collision and were transported to Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center for treatment.
Owens said two other fire companies responded to the call, a continuation of their response to the house-fire call.
"They determined that it was a chimney fire and after clearing from that scene they responded to the accident," Owens said.
Rescue workers removed a door from the fire engine to get one of the firefighters out of the truck.
"The firefighters and the truck driver were all very fortunate," Owens said of the collision.
Owens said the Prince George County Police Department is still investigating the accident and no charges have been filed at this point.
The driver of the tractor-trailer, who wished not to be identified, said he's been driving tractor-trailers for 15 years and has never been involved in an accident so severe.
The trailer took the brunt of the impact in the collision.
"I was just lucky," the driver said.
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