A Harrison firefighter was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries Friday, July 6, when he was injured after a dump truck struck the tiller truck he was sitting in near the PSE&G property on Frank E. Rodgers Boulevard South, Lt. David Doyle told The Observer today.
Here’s how it all went down, according to Doyle:
The Harrison Fire Department responded to an “odor of gas” call with its ladder truck at approximately 2:30 p.m., Friday, July 6, at the PSE&G property. They stopped in the southbound lane with emergency lights flashing. While clearing the scene and returning to the truck, a dump truck with a partial load was traveling south and struck the rear of the fire truck, causing damage to both vehicles.
One fireman was returning to the seat in the tiller (rear driving compartment — see image with this story for a file photo of the tiller truck) when the collision occurred. He was thrown from the truck at that time. He was transported to the hospital, but his injuries were not life-threatening. He was home, safe, with his family, later the same day, according to an HFD Facebook post.
The driver of the dump truck, meanwhile, claimed his brakes failed and he veered to the left to attempt to avoid the fire truck at the last moment.
The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Accident Investigation Unit was contacted and is assisting the Harrison Police Department with the investigation.
Please check back at theobserver.com for updates. We’ll post them as they become available.
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