A Chicago Fire Department engine went over a curb and slammed into a stoplight and a tree after colliding with a white pickup truck on the city's West Side Monday, sending two firefighters to the hospital. The crash happened near Augusta Boulevard and Long Avenue in the Austin neighborhood, according to Chicago police.
Chicago police said the fire engine collided with a white pickup truck, as reported by CBS Chicago. The impact sent the engine over a curb, where it also struck a stoplight and a tree, per the station's account. The conditions of the two firefighters taken to the hospital had not been disclosed as of Monday evening, and no further information was immediately available.
A Familiar Scene on Chicago's West Side
Monday's collision unfolded in Austin, a large West Side community served by CFD stations including Engine 96 and Truck 29 on North Waller Avenue, a house that lost a veteran captain in a line-of-duty building collapse in April 2025, according to Firehouse Magazine. Austin is one of the city's busiest areas for emergency calls, and Monday's crash adds another entry to a run of apparatus incidents that have drawn scrutiny from firefighters and city officials alike.
It is not yet known whether fault has been determined in Monday's collision, and Chicago police have not said what preceded the fire engine leaving the roadway. Those questions, along with the unit number involved and whether it was an active rig or a reserve spare, remain open as investigators continue to look into the crash.
Illinois Law Requires Drivers to Yield
Under Illinois Vehicle Code Section 11-907, motorists are required to yield the right-of-way to an approaching emergency vehicle displaying lights and sirens, pull as close as possible to the right-hand curb clear of any intersection, and come to a complete stop, according to the Illinois General Assembly. Emergency vehicle operators, in turn, remain obligated to drive with due regard for public safety even while responding to a call.
Illinois also enforces Scott's Law, the state's move-over statute enacted in 2001 and named for Chicago Fire Department Lieutenant Scott Gillen, who was struck and killed by a driver on the Dan Ryan Expressway in December 2000, per the Illinois State Police. Drivers who fail to yield to emergency vehicles face mandatory fines ranging from $250 to $10,000 for a first offense, along with license suspensions of 90 days to two years if the violation results in property damage or injury, the agency notes. Criminal charges can also apply if a crash causes severe injury or death.
Crashes Remain a Persistent Hazard for Firefighters
Nationally, fire department vehicles were involved in roughly 19,225 traffic collisions in 2023, resulting in 1,450 firefighter injuries, according to National Fire Protection Association estimates cited by Work Zone Barriers. Motor vehicle crashes are the second-leading cause of line-of-duty deaths for U.S. firefighters, accounting for 20% to 25% of annual fatalities, based on data compiled by the U.S. Fire Administration and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Chicago has seen its own share of apparatus incidents in recent years. In February 2025, a 20-year-old Chicago fire engine collided with a church housing a food pantry at West 103rd Street and South Morgan Street while attempting to evade another vehicle, injuring two firefighters, a crash Hoodline previously covered. Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2 argued afterward that NFPA standards advise removing apparatus older than 15 years from active assigned status.
The union has continued to press the city over its fleet. In January 2026, Local 2 President Pat Cleary warned that the department's aging engines were putting firefighters in jeopardy after two units failed to pump water during a rekindled house fire in Roseland, according to Firefighter Close Calls. One of the failing trucks in that incident was reportedly more than 20 years old, while another was a taped-together loaner. During November 2024 city council budget hearings, fire department officials disclosed that 63% of the department's engines, 33% of its trucks, and 20% of its tower ladders were operating beyond their recommended 15-year service lifespan.
City leaders have taken some steps to address labor concerns even as fleet funding debates continue. In January 2026, the Chicago City Council approved a contract providing retro-pay and salary increases for the department's nearly 4,900 firefighters and paramedics, even as apparatus replacement funding remained a separate, ongoing point of discussion in city budget proposals. No details on the cause of Monday's crash, the conditions of the two hospitalized firefighters, or whether the engine involved was part of that aging fleet had been released as of Monday evening.
