ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. — Three firefighters were hurt when a semitrailer ran into a fire truck at the scene of a highway crash during a snowstorm.
Emergency crews were called at about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday to a crash involving three vehicles on the highway, WSBT reported. While responding to the incident, the firefighters became involved when a semi hauling pickles rear-ended them. The three firefighters inside the rig were OK, according to the report. However, the driver of another vehicle involved in the original wreck was critically injured.
“When we were approaching the scene, it was backed up approximately 100 yards,” said Southwest Central Fire Capt. Zach Mark, who was riding in the officer’s seat.
“I felt a jolt from behind and realized we got rear ended,” firefighter/EMT Andrew Fox, who was riding in the back seat, said.
Even though the rig had its lights on, the semi couldn’t stop and slammed into it.
“Just waiting for that second hit, you know?” Capt. Mark recalled. “We survived the first hit, we didn’t roll. Especially with a fire truck when you roll you’ve got bigger issues.”
That second hit never came. The firefighters got out and checked on the semi driver who was not injured, according to the report.
“We seemed OK — neck, back pain, whiplash, that kind of thing. But we had to get up to the other cars because they were more serious than us,” Mark said.
Southwest Central Battalion Chief Charlie Lawson got there right after it happened.
“It’s the closest I’ve been in 28 years. Don’t really want to get much closer than that,” he said. “There were plenty of red lights going up there, people just don’t slow down on the bypass.”
The back section of the rig is banged up, but it can be replaced.
“It could have been a lot worse,” firefighter Fox said. “If we were out working with the patients and something happened, we were outside the truck, it could have been a lot worse.”
All three firefighters were checked out at the hospital and later returned to the station to finish the rest of their shift.