Car Hits Fire Truck Head-On, Causing It To Roll Over In Eastern Kent County
Driver & 3 Firefighters Are Hurt In Crash On Lincoln Lake Avenue NE Near 6 Mile Road NE
GRATTAN TOWNSHIP —
A drunken driver and three firefighters were injured when a car hit a fire truck head-on early Saturday in eastern Kent County.
At 12:12 a.m. Saturday, a Grattan Township fire engine was responding without its flashers or siren to a report or electrical power wires down. The fire truck was southbound on Lincoln Lake Avenue just north of 6 Mile Road when it encountered a northbound 2005 Chevrolet Malibu, which swerved to the right and collided with a guardrail. The car then swerved back to the left, crossed the center line and hit the fire engine head-on.
The fire truck went off the roadway and overturned, coming to rest on its roof while the car's driver was thrown from the Malibu.
The fire engine contained three firefighters. All three were transported by Rockford Ambulance to Spectrum Health United Hospital in Greenville with minor injuries.
The car's driver -- a 45-year-old Grant man -- suffered severe multiple injuries, according to the Kent County Sheriff's Department. He was transported by Rockford Ambulance to Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids. The driver's identity has not been released.
The Kent County Sheriff's Department said alcohol was a contributing factor on the part of the car's driver, but not the firefighters.
The Cannon Township Fire Department, Grattan Township Fire Department, Aeromed and the Michigan State Police assisted the Kent County Sheriff's Department at the scene.
The crash remains under investigation by the Kent County Sheriff's Department.
Source: www.chicagotribune.com