Crime & Safety
RivCo Fire Engine, Mini Cooper Collide In Multi-Injury Incident: CHP
A Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department engine and a Mini Cooper collided Friday afternoon as firefighters headed to battle a blaze.
RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — On a day of multiple remote wildfires, a Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department engine and sedan collided Friday at a Hemet intersection, leaving the driver of the smaller vehicle injured and trapped and three firefighters injured.
Just after 12:30 p.m. Friday, a crash between the fire engine and the smaller car occurred at the intersection of Domenigoni Parkway and State Street. The incident was reported within moments by the fire crew.
Cal Fire Capt. John Clingingsmith said the crew was en route to a blaze burning along Highway 74 at the western edge of the San Bernardino National Forest when the collision occurred.
The circumstances were not immediately known, including exactly what caused the crash, and the California Highway Patrol is investigating.
Hemet Fire and Police departments, and California Highway Patrol officers, along with additional county fire crews, were sent to the location.
The driver of the sedan, believed to be a Mini Cooper according to CHP Dispatch reports, suffered moderate to major injuries. The person was unable to get out of the wreckage and required extrication by Hemet firefighters, according to reports from the scene.
The three county firefighters aboard the engine were injured, but reportedly not critically. They were taken to Inland Valley Medical Center, a regional trauma center in Wildomar, for further evaluation and treatment, officials said.
The motorist was taken to another facility for care.
The intersection was shut down by municipal police and CHP officers while a preliminary investigation was initiated.
The CHP is handling the investigation.
