Last night, the Carmel Fire Department shared an incident on social media highlighting the dangers firefighters face at crash scenes. According to their post on Facebook, Engine 346 was hit by a vehicle driven by a suspected drunk driver. This event occurred while the crew was attending to a separate crash on 146th Street near Spring Mill Ponds.
As reported in the statement, firefighters were actively providing aid to a patient from the original accident when the second collision happened. It was a close call; a firefighter had just put away tools in the back compartment of the engine seconds before the vehicle struck a police car and then firefighter's Engine 346. Fortunately, in the chaos of what could have easily turned tragic, no firefighters or bystanders were injured.
The Carmel Fire Department post went on to explain that the presence of multiple emergency vehicles at crash sites serves a protective purpose. "This is exactly why you often see multiple fire trucks and police cars at crash scenes, they create a protective buffer to help prevent other vehicles from entering the area and striking first responders," the department emphasized.
