FEBRUARY 12, 2015
MOUNTLAKE TERRACE
Two people were taken to hospitals Wednesday when a
passenger car and fire truck collided at an intersection in south Snohomish County.
A Mountlake Terrace woman, 91, was transported to Harborview
Medical Center in Seattle where she was listed in serious condition in the
intensive care unit on Thursday. She was driving a 1990 Volvo.
The firefighter driving the Snohomish County Fire District 1
Spartan pumper truck was transported to Providence Regional Medical Center
Everett. He is 54 and from Brier. He was treated and released. His three
firefighter passengers were not injured but were given precautionary medical
examinations.
The fire truck was headed west on 228th Street SW in
Mountlake Terrace with its emergency lights and sirens activated, according to
a Washington State Patrol memo.
The Volvo was southbound on 44th Avenue W when it entered
the intersection against a red light and was struck by the fire truck, the
State Patrol reported.
Fire District 1 battalion chief Jerry Sheehan said accidents
involving fire trucks have been rare for his department over the years.
The emergency vehicles use automatic trips to create green
lights when they approach traffic intersection signals, but that doesn’t mean
they pass through without slowing down, he said.
“We are requesting the right of way,” he said. “We are not
demanding it. We slow down as much as
necessary to make sure we have absolute control of the intersection.”
Damage to the fire truck was minimal. It was able to be driven from the scene and
was being inspected on Thursday.