WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. — A Windsor Locks Fire Department fire truck is out of commission after it was struck by a vehicle last Wednesday, officials said.
The crash happened as fire crews were at the scene of a rollover crash on Interstate 91 just after 3:30 a.m.
According to the department, they were called to the Exit 40 area on the southbound side of I-91 by state police for the single rollover crash.
The vehicle was found in the grassy area by the Route 20 on-ramp to I-91 south. The driver managed to get themselves out of their vehicle.
The fire department put Engine 5 in a position on the far right and break down lanes to act as a blocker for the ambulance and police vehicles.
The Engine 5 crew placed cones and used emergency lights to warn motorists of the scene ahead of them.
Rescue 4, another department vehicle, was also requested at the scene to provide extra protection for those on the scene of the crash.
According to the department, Rescue 4 was placed in the two rightmost lanes of the highway with its emergency lights activated and cones placed in front of it.
Just after 4 a.m., about a half hour after crews arrived on the scene, a Ford Escape driving on the highway collided with Rescue 4. The crash caused significant damage to both vehicles, the department said.
The Escape hit with such force that it moved Rescue 4 about 8 feet from its original location and rendered it inoperable, fire officials said. Rescue 4 was unoccupied at the time, and no fire personnel was injured.
The driver of the Escape received minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Due to the scene being expanded from the second crash, additional resources and mutual aid were called in to assist.
The fire department said on its Facebook page that the department will be without a heavy rescue truck for an "extended period of time" and that mutual aid units from surrounding towns would need to be called. The department said if Rescue 4 needed to be replaced, manufacturers are currently taking at least two years to build and deliver new fire vehicles.
"Rescue 4 was on I-91 to protect responders from being hit if a vehicle entered the scene and it did its job. There were no major injuries or fatalities in this instance, but it could have been very different if crews were still near or in the apparatus at the time of impact," the department said on Facebook.
It is the law to slow down and move over when approaching emergency, maintenance, or tow vehicles parked on the road. State police cited the driver of the Escape.
Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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