A child's skull is fractured after the vehicle it was riding in slammed into a fire engine.
All seven people in the vehicle were injured. The accident happened on Interstate 55 near the McDowell Rd. exit, just before noon, as the fire engine was turning left to get on the I-55 southbound on-ramp.
All the injured were taken to University Medical Center, including one firefighter.
On the scene, desperate family members pulled children from the car as rescuers taken away one toddler. It was one of seven passengers in the Ford Thunderbird driven by 18-year-old Raymond Hughes.
While responding to an accident on I-55 South, the firefighters discovered they were on the wrong side of the freeway and had to turn around.
"They were coming down the northbound lane and coming down McDowell to get to the southbound lane, and the vehicle side swiped them." said R.D. Simpson of the Jackson Fire Department.
Four firefighter were on the truck. They consoled each other as they watched the rescue effort. One firefighter was taken to the hospital but not for any bodily injuries.
"It looks to be more emotional thank physical," said Simpson, "Whenever you are involved in an accident, you can suffer an emotional breakdown."
According to police, the brakes went out on the Ford. So even though the truck's sirens and lights were on, they couldn't stop.
Police say the driver was taking one of the passengers to work when his car struck the middle of the truck. It suffered several thousand dollars worth of damage, but firefighters kept their focus on the injured.
"One of the toughest things we deal with is when we have anything dealing with children," said Simpson.
A few of the victims names and their conditions were released. Raymond Hughes, the driver, Georgetta Trotter, and George McCool, are all listed in good condition. As for the other adult and the three children, their condition has not been released.
