By Julian Gill
Houston Chronicle
HUNTSVILLE, Texas — A Huntsville firefighter was critically injured Sunday after a rear-end crash caused a fire truck to roll over, leaving three firefighters trapped under the engine, according to the Montgomery County Police Reporter.
Two firefighters were rescued by civilians, but a third firefighter got his head and hand stuck under the truck, authorities said. All three were taken to hospitals with the third in critical condition.
The crash was reported Sunday morning in the intersection of FM247 and FM2821 in Huntsville. Authorities said the truck was southbound on FM247 with active sirens when it approached the intersection. An SUV was also in the southbound lanes next to a vehicle with a travel trailer, authorities said.
When the truck drove through the intersection, the driver of the SUV hit the rear wheels of the truck, witnesses told the Montgomery County Police reporter. The truck appeared to level out after the initial impact but ended up rolling at least five or six times, authorities said.
Witnesses described equipment flying off the truck as it rolled. Civilians got out of their car and ran to the truck after the crash, rescuing two of the three trapped firefighters, authorities said.
A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper tried to rescue the firefighter before another Huntsville fire truck arrived on the scene with rescue tools. Authorities freed the firefighter, and he was transported to a trauma center in Conroe.
The two other firefighters were in stable condition. The female driver of the SUV, as well as a child passenger, were also taken to a hospital in stable condition.
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