Four Conn. firefighters injured in crash

By Daniel Tepfer
Connecticut Post Online

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Four firefighters were injured slightly when a car plowed into the side of their firetruck on the city's East Side this morning.

The firefighters — Capt. Luis Rivera, Pump Engineer Stephen Kapatancik, Frank Norris and Jose Torres — were taken to Bridgeport Hospital, where they were being evaluated.

The four were riding in a truck on Connecticut Avenue about 9:30 a.m., returning from an accident call, when a Lexus sedan appeared not to have halted at the stop sign at Sixth Street and crashed into truck, according to fire officials.

"They were traveling at the speed limit without lights or siren when the truck was hit," said Assistant Fire Chief Dominick Carfi. "The driver of the car didn't appear to make any effort to stop."

The car, driven by Donna Cella, 44, of Trumbull, hit the fender of the firetruck just below the driver's door, pushing the side of the truck into the wheel.

Carfi said the impact caused the firetruck driver to lose control and the truck knocked down a traffic sign and a decorative light pole before halting at an angle with the front resting against the sidewalk.

"Fortunately, the firefighters were wearing seatbelts or their injuries could have been much more serious," Carfi said. He said the frame of the firetruck was bent and damages could run as high as $50,000.

The front of the Lexus was caved in and the airbags deployed, but Cella waved off firefighters and emergency personnel as they approached her car. "I'm fine. I'm fine, I just want to get to work," she said, punching numbers into a pink cellphone. "I'll go to the hospital later, but right now I just got to get to work."

A few minutes later a taxi pulled up to the scene and Cella announced that her ride had arrived.

"I was just in a hurry to get to work in Westport but I have a good solid car, thank god," she said. "I just wish they would hurry up because I really have to get to work."

Police closed off a two-block stretch of Connecticut Avenue as they began to investigate the accident. They eventually allowed Cella to continue on her way in the taxi, pending the investigation.