PATERSON, NJ – According to reports, two firetrucks that were responding to a fire in Paterson collided at an intersection earlier in September, resulting in eight firefighters being injured in the collision.
The incident occurred at approximately 5:30 p.m. on September 10th as the two trucks were en route to a call located off of 141 Main Street, with video capturing the moment where the two firetrucks hit one another at the intersection of Broadway and Straight Street.
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Following the direct collision between the two firetrucks, one of the trucks smashed into a tree while the other collided with the Golden Mango supermarket. The firefighters injured in the accident were reportedly inside of the truck that crashed into the tree following the initial collision.
Of the eight firefighters injured, three were listed as being in critical condition after they were admitted to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center.
Additional fire crews were dispatched to the scene off of Main Street that the two colliding firetrucks were originally headed to, which said crews were able to extinguish the fire located approximately one block away from the crash site.
Riken Patel, the general manager of the Golden Mango who was inside of the store when the trucks collided, spoke with a local ABC News outlet, telling the news crew that it was a close call as he’d just stepped away from where the second truck crashed into the business.
“Where the accident happened, I was there one minute ago and I moved from there, and luckily I moved.”
Patel detailed how the firetruck came barreling through the front of the store, sending shoppers in a panic as the wall came down and merchandise was launched around due to the impact. Thankfully, Patel said no one inside of the store at the time was injured, but emphasized, “We were shocked. We didn’t realize what was going on.”
Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh is asking that prayers be made for the injured firefighters as well as their families, noting that the firefighters “were doing their job, they were trying to get to the scene, as promptly as possible and unfortunately this has happened. They were just trying to get there as soon as they could.”
The cause of the collision is currently under investigation, with officials not commenting on what may have caused the two trucks to collide. As of September 12th, one of the firefighters who were admitted into St. Joseph’s in critical condition remains hospitalized, with specific details on the firefighter’s sustained injuries not being made public as of this writing.
Officials have not publicly released the identities of the firefighters injured in the collision. Paterson’s fire chief reportedly sent home one fire company on the evening of the collision “for mental health concerns,” according to local reports.
This piece was written by Gregory Hoyt on September 12, 2022. It originally appeared on RedVoiceMedia.com and is used with permission.
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