May 10--A woman who remains in serious but stable condition at a Rhode Island hospital may have been driving under the influence Monday afternoon when she crashed her car head on into a fire apparatus that was on its way back to its station.
The Providence Journal reports that police in Tiverton are investigating the wreck and have not ruled out impaired driving as the primary cause. Officials said investigators recovered several empty bottles from the vehicle driven by 46-year-old Lucia Borges of Westport, who police also said has a "significant history" of motor vehicle offenses.
Tiverton Police Capt. Patrick Jones said Borges' history of offenses includes a 2014 arrest in Massachusetts for operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol. Jones said investigators will seek to obtain her medical records from the hospital in order to determine if she was impaired while driving Monday.
According to the Journal, Fire Chief Robert Lloyd said Tiverton firefighters were returning to their station in Engine 2 on Crandall Road at around 2:30 p.m. when Borges' vehicle crossed the center line near the intersection of Cornell Road and struck the engine on its front driver's side corner.
"They were in traffic from the middle school," Lloyd told the Journal. "They did not have their lights and siren on. The car crossed the center line and hit them."
Lloyd said the driver of the apparatus saw the vehicle and tried to pull the engine off the road, but unfortunately could not avoid the collision.
Firefighters performed first aid on Borges immediately after the accident, Lloyd said, adding that two of them -- Donald Clark and Brian Thompson -- were later transported to St. Anne's Hospital in Fall River for observation. Both were released several hours later but were not on-duty Tuesday.
"Both are in good spirits for what they've been through," Lloyd told the Journal, adding that both firefighters were more concerned with Borges' condition.
Officials said Borges is expected to recover after suffering what were described at the time of the crash as life-threatening injuries.
"It looks like she's going to pull through," Jones told the Journal.
Engine 2, meanwhile, sustained significant damage in the crash and will be out of service for about eight months, according to the Journal.
The four-year-old vehicle, which is worth around $500,000, is the Tiverton Fire Department's newest and best pumper, Lloyd said. The Portsmouth Fire Department has lent one of its engines in the short-term and the Tiverton Department is also using an older refurbished vehicle.
