A Prince George’s County fire engine being used to protect firefighters working a crash on the Capitol Beltway was struck by a vehicle, officials said.
At around 2:45 a.m. Saturday, between the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and the Annapolis Road interchanges, a driver of a Lexus slammed into the rear of the fire engine. No one was injured, but the crash caused about $30,000 damage to the fire truck.
Several minutes later, another driver struck the Lexus and narrowly missed the firefighters working alongside the damaged engine. The driver and passengers fled the crash but were arrested about a half-mile away, officials said.
The fire engines are used to shield to oncoming traffic protecting firefighters, medics, police officers and civilians while operating on a roadway. This is the second incident in a month that a Prince George’s County fire engine was struck by a vehicle while providing “barrier protection” on the scene of a Capital Beltway crash.
“Once again, “barrier protection” has been the difference between going to a funeral and going to the repair shop,” said fire department spokesman Mark Brady.
