Two Chesterfield firefighters have been released from the hospital following a crash that occurred while they were working an incident on the side of Interstate 95, according to a Chesterfield County Fire and EMS Facebook post Sunday.
At 10:20 p.m. Saturday night, a Chesterfield ladder truck was blocking traffic after an accident on I-95 south, just north of the Willis Road exit, when it was struck by a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed. Two firefighters were transported to VCU Medical Center to be evaluated for minor injuries. Two other people were also injured and transported to area hospitals.
A man has been hit with several charges, including DUI, after crashing into the fire truck, wric.com reported. Four people were injured in the crash.
Virginia State Police (VSP) said the right lane and right shoulder were closed at the time and the truck had its lights on.
An approaching 2019 GMC pickup, driven by 25-year-old Juan Sara Cruz, changed lanes and struck the driver’s side of the fire truck, according to VSP.
According to VSP, Cruz overcorrected after hitting the fire truck, then struck another vehicle, the wric.com report said.
Cruz and the driver of a third vehicle, who has not been identified, were also injured. Both have been hospitalized with injuries not considered life-threatening, according to VSP. Their condition beyond that is unknown at this time.
According to VSP, Cruz was hit with five charges: driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, failing to move over for an emergency vehicle, not having a valid license and not wearing a seatbelt.
The ladder truck suffered significant damage and needed to be towed from the scene, resulting in I-95 being shut down for an extended amount of time. The crash is currently under investigation by VSP.
Chesterfield Fire & EMS would like to remind all drivers that Virginia’s Move Over law requires drivers to slow down and move over one lane as they approach any emergency scene, or first responders stopped on the side of the road.
