03/10/2011 // Greensboro, NC, USA // Personal Injury Lawyers News // Nicole Howley
Staten Island, NY—A two-vehicle crash involving a city fire truck rushing to an emergency and a van filled with developmentally disabled adults, critically injured two people and killed a Special Olympics athlete. The automobile accident occurred at around 12:10 p.m., at the corner of Richmond Road and Burgher Avenue in Dongan Hills on Wednesday, March 9, 2011, reported Staten Island Live.
According to officials, the Ladder Co. 81 truck was headed northeast on Richmond to a reported car fire, when the fire truck hit a Ford Econoline van that was making a turn from Burgher.
“Ladder 81 was responding to a passing motorist’s report that a car had caught fire, with a person inside, at the intersection of Lily Pond Road and Major Avenue, by the Staten Island Expressway,” stated FDNY spokesman Frank Dwyer. But, it turned out that the reported vehicle fire was nothing more than a overheated car.
One witness, Ali Alsaede of Sunnyside, said the van had the green light, and the fire truck had its lights flashing and sirens blaring.
The impact of the crash killed Eric Perry, 51, and injured two others inside the van. There reportedly were eight other people inside of the van at the time of the crash.
The six remaining occupants of the van and six firefighters in the ladder truck sustained minor injuries in the crash.
The van was operated by Lifestyles for the Disabled in Willowbrook.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the fire engine did not come to a complete stop at the red light, which is required by state law. The FDNY stated that after stopping, fire trucks can proceed with caution if the intersection is clear.
Investigations are underway.
Legal News Reporter: Nicole Howley-Legal news for New York automobile accident lawyers.
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