Fourteen people were taken to the hospital - three in critical condition - following a crash involving multiple motorcycles on a Fort Worth interstate Friday night.
Fort Worth firefighters and Medstar crews were dispatched to the southbound lanes of Interstate 35W's toll road around 8:45 for a motorcycle accident.
"More 9-1-1 calls came in, indicting a major incident was unfolding Friday night," Fort Worth Fire spokesman Craig Trojacek told Firehouse.com. "As units arrived, they had their hands full with burning motorcycles and injured riders on the roadway."
Quint 35 reported several motorcycles were on fire and requested additional resources as they began triaging patients.
Riders who were not involved with the collision, along with passersby, had already began treating patients, Trojacek said.
A mass casualty incident was called for, bringing 11 fire companies and 10 ambulances, which had to navigate around stopped traffic on both sides of the freeway.
Trojacek said 17 people were injured in the crash, with 14 being transported to several hospitals. Three others were treated on scene.
At least three patients were critically injured and several others suffered serious injuries.
"We're proud of the strong work our crews did, coordinating with Medstar EMS and Fort Worth police to get the patients assessed, treated and transported as quickly as possible," Trojacek said.
Peter Matthews | Editor-in-Chief/Conference Director
Peter Matthews is the conference director and editor-in-chief of Firehouse. He has worked at Firehouse since 1999, serving in various roles on both Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com staffs. He completed an internship with the Rochester, NY, Fire Department and served with fire departments in Rush, NY, and Laurel, MD, and was a lieutenant with the Glenwood Fire Company in Glenwood, NY. Matthews served as photographer for the St. Paul, MN, Fire Department.
