Two CA Fire Rigs Struck while Protecting Crash Scenes

Two separate crashes where cars rammed into fire trucks happened on 680 on Saturday morning, the first in Fremont at around 7 a.m., and then in Walnut Creek around 10 a.m.

Fremont firefighters were hit by two cars after responding to a vehicle accident on northbound I-680, south of the Andrade exit, on Saturday morning.

While providing first aid to a patient at the scene, a fire engine parked to protect the accident scene, then was struck by two separate vehicles at different times.

The driver of one of the vehicles sustained minor injuries and was transported to a hospital by Falck ambulance services.

No firefighters were harmed at the incident. The damaged truck was then towed from the scene.

The California Highway Patrol is currently investigating the cause of the traffic collisions.

A short while after the Fremont accident, two people were critically injured Saturday morning when their car slammed into a Contra Costa County Fire Protection District ladder truck, which was blocking traffic on Interstate 680 in Walnut Creek after an earlier wreck on the freeway.

Both people were riding in a Toyota Prius when it barreled into the ladder truck around 10 a.m. Saturday on I-680, near the Olympic Boulevard exit in Walnut Creek, said Joe Ottolini of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.

Four firefighters were in the ladder truck when it was hit, Ottolini said. None of them appeared to be injured immediately after the crash, he said, though all of them went to a hospital to be evaluated as a precaution.

The ladder truck had been parked on the interstate to protect other firefighters who had responded to a call of a vehicle that had spun out on the roadway, Ottolini said. That previous crash resulted in few — if any — injuries, officials said.

This is a developing story. Refresh this page for updates.

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