Saturday morning around 9:34 a.m., two fire trucks were both racing down the rain-slicked streets of Brooklyn when they collided with each other. The crash caused one of the trucks to flip onto its side, pinning the driver inside the debris. This massive accident resulted in more than a dozen injured firefighters. Both trucks were responding to the same emergency call at 762 Warwick Street.
The driver, Robert Puppa of the flipped fire truck was stuck inside the vehicle for over two hours as emergency responders tried to extract him from the truck.
Puppa was finally removed from the wreckage and lifted away on a backboard around 12:15 p.m.. He left the scene with an IV line attached to his arm as a crowd of onlookers cheered and clapped for him
According to police and fire officials, the collision occurred between a truck from Engine Company 236 and a 70,000 pound truck from Ladder Company 107. The accident happened at Ashford Street and Hegeman Avenue.
The ladder truck came to a rest in front of 716 Ashford Street. Before coming to a halt, the truck pinned a cab between the rear end of the truck and a large tree and smashed a parked minivan with its ladder and bucket.
The Engine continued after the collision, coming to a stop on the front lawn of 825 Hegeman Avenue after crashing through a fence.
According to James Long, a Fire Department spokesman, each truck was carrying six fire fighters. All twelve fire fighters were injured in the accident. They were taken to three hospitals, King County Hospital located on Winthrop Street, Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center located on Brookdale Plaza, and Jamaica Hospital Medical Center located on Van Wyck Expressway. Luckily, no civilians were hurt.
Jamal Braxton was four doors down from the crash. He said he heard it all from his home. He even claims that he was able to feel the impact, his entire house shook. Braxton told the New York Times that leading up to the crash he heard sirenes coming from the street and all of a sudden he heard the piercing noise of screeching tires.
There is an investigation underway to discover the cause of the accident. Long has commented stating that weather may be a possible factor, but everything will be taken into account.
