Fire Engine Hit While Responding to Beltway Crash

A driver is in critical condition after he reportedly crashed his van into the back of a Prince George’s County fire engine stopped at the scene of another accident.

The original crash happened Thursday night on the Capital Beltway Inner Loop near Ritchie Marlboro Road in Capitol Heights, according to department spokesman Mark Brady. Units at the scene were checking what appeared to be a relatively minor crash with one person requiring transportation to a hospital.

An engine from the Ritchie Volunteer Fire Department was parked on the beltway about 11 p.m. when it was struck from behind, Brady said.

The van’s driver was trapped and crews already on the scene extricated the man, who suffered critical injuries. The driver was taken by medics to a trauma center, where he remains in critical and stable condition, authorities said.

Three members on the engine were treated at a local hospital for minor injuries and released.

Brady says it is standard procedure for a heavy-duty piece of fire apparatus such as an engine to be used as a barrier on roads to protect people at crash scenes.

The Ritchie engine will be inspected Friday to see if it can be repaired. A new fire engine costs between $600,000 and $800,000.

»Photo Credit: Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department