Matt Miller
The Patriot-News, Harrisburg, Pa.
HARRISBURG, Pa. — An East Shore driver and two of her passengers are suing over a crash involving a Harrisburg fire truck that sent nine people to the hospital.
Defendants in the Dauphin County Court case include the city.
Driver Chavonne Winters of Oberlin claims in the suit that she was stopped at a red light at Market and Cameron streets when the crash occurred around 6:45 p.m. on June 7, 2018. The other plaintiffs in the case, a child and Brittany Davis of Harrisburg, were passengers in Winters’ SUV.
The fire truck, which was answering a call with its lights flashing and siren wailing, was heading east on Market Street and into the intersection – directly toward Winters’ vehicle – when another SUV collided with the truck, the suit states. It states that the other SUV had a green light.
The impact of the crash caused the fire truck to slam head-on into her stopped vehicle, Winters claims. The impact “bulldozed” her SUV into a vehicle that was stopped behind her, she contends.
Winters, Davis and the child are seeking more than $50,000 in damages for injuries they say they sustained in the collision, which they blame on carelessness by the other drivers.
Police who investigated the crash said those injured included three firefighters and a 5-year-old girl.
They said fire trucks generally have the right-of-way when headed to emergency calls, but that drivers of all emergency vehicles are required by law to slow when approaching red traffic signals and ensure it is safe to cross the intersections.
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©2020 The Patriot-News (Harrisburg, Pa.)