UNSAFE DRIVING CAUSED FIRE TRUCK CRASH AT MONTEREY PARK, CALIFORNIA RESTAURANT
January 23, 2015
Unsafe driving caused an
Alhambra Fire Department truck to collide with a Monterey Park fire engine last
spring, injuring 15 people, according to an investigation released Thursday.
Despite placing fault
with the Alhambra fire engine’s driver, no charges are being filed in
connection to the April 16, 2014, incident, according to a summary of the
California Highway Patrol’s investigation. The CHP's full report was not
released.
The two engines, which
were both responding to a fire at a Monterey Park home, collided about 3 p.m.
in the San Gabriel Valley city.
In the moments before the
collision, the Alhambra fire truck had its sirens blaring and lights flashing
as it headed southbound on Garfield Avenue at 15 mph, the CHP said.
Meanwhile, the Monterey
Park fire truck was driving 20 to 25 mph eastbound on Emerson Avenue, also with
its lights and sirens activated.
As both trucks arrived at
Garfield and Emerson avenues, the Monterey Park truck had a green traffic
light, while Alhambra’s truck had a red light.
“The Alhambra fire engine
failed to ensure the intersection was safe to enter against the red signal
light,” the CHP concluded.
Alhambra’s truck struck
the front of the Monterey Park vehicle, which kept moving and smashed into a person
and a street pole before ramming into the restaurant, Lu Dumpling House.
Five restaurant patrons
and four pedestrians were injured. Six firefighters were also injured.
In a statement, Scott
Haberle, chief of the Monterey Park Fire Department, said the investigation’s
conclusions offered resolution and he thanked the CHP for its “time and
diligence in investigating the tragic accident.”
“We are proud to serve
this community and remain committed to the highest professional standards of
safety and protection,” Haberle said.
Alhambra’s assistant city
manager and fire chief did not respond to after-hours requests for comment.