[catman]

Firefighters Lay Wreath At Site Of Fire Truck Crash
Collision Kills One, Injures Two




Courtesy NBC5.com

The front of one of the units was destroyed in the impact.






Courtesy NBC5.com

An overhead shot of the accident scene and overturned pumper.






Courtesy NBC5.com

Firefighters gather late Tuesday night at the scene of the tragic accident.






Courtesy NBC5.com

The second pumper involved in Tuesday's accident.






Courtesy NBC5.com

An overhead shot of the overturned pumper.



COURTESY NBC5.com



MELROSE PARK, Ill. -- Firefighters gathered overnight to lay a wreath at the site where two fire trucks struck each other, killing a 34-year-old firefighter, as they headed to a garage fire in Franklin Park.

? Images: Firefighters Gather; Accident Scene
? Video: Firefighter Killed

Two other firefighters were injured, one of them critically, when the trucks collided Tuesday evening. A witness said the crash sounded like a bomb went off.

The firefighter died at Loyola University Medical Center in the Chicago suburb of Maywood, said hospital spokeswoman Sandra Martinez.

The collision happened about 6 p.m. at an intersection on the border of the suburbs of Northlake and Melrose Park. Trucks from Northlake and the suburb of Stone Park were involved, according to witnesses.

Cecil Graham, 39, a mechanic with Pollard Motor Co. in Melrose Park, said he was walking outside when he saw one firetruck heading through the intersection of Mannheim Road and Armitage Avenue. The other firetruck was traveling along Mannheim.

"As soon as (the truck) crossed the first lane of traffic, that's when I heard the bomb -- the big explosion," he said.

Graham said one firetruck landed on its side after the collision.

"I could see underneath the truck, the whole thing," he said.

Investigators believe the Northlake was turning north on Mannheim from the eastbound lanes of Armitage when it struck the Stone Park's only firetruck, which was traveling north on Mannheim.

"Clearly, this is a tragic event for both communities," said Stone Park Village Attorney Dean Krone. "I'm sure that all members of the departments and of other departments feel very deeply about this situation."

Firefighters involved in the accident had to extricate at least one firefighter from the truck and had to extinguish flames coming from it.

Ellen Maslo, a receptionist at Pollard, said the trucks were "pretty mangled" when she stepped outside.

"I thought if anybody came out of there, it would be a miracle," she said.

NBC5's Rob Elgas reported that investigators said both the Northlake truck and the Stone Park truck were responding to the same call -- a garage fire in nearby Lyons Township.

"I don't know whether there was communication between the two departments tonight," Krone said.

The 34-year-old Stone Park firefighter who died in the accident was also a Chicago firefighter assigned to Engine No. 57 at Division and Western, where he was an EMT, NBC5's Amy Jacobson reported.

The driver of the Stone Park fire truck was in critical condition at Loyola Tuesday night and was undergoing surgery for two broken femurs, a collapsed lung and head injuries.

"Considering that we work with these people all the time, it kind of hits home," said 32-year fire veteran Capt. Carl Lite. "There's small fender benders with ambulances and passenger cars, but with two firetrucks like this, no."

A 27-year-old Stone Park firefighter was at Elmhurst Hospital in serious condition Tuesday night, but his injuries were not life-threatening.

Two other firefighters were treated for minor injuries and released Tuesday night.