IL Apparatus in Rollover Crash with Suspected Drunken Driver

Aug. 14, 2020
A man cited for driving under the influence collided with a Peoria Fire Department apparatus returning from a call, spinning the rig 180 degrees and flipping it on its side.

A suspected drunken driver struck an Illinois fire apparatus early Friday, spinning it 180 degrees and flipping it on its side.

The accident happened shortly after 1 a.m. as Peoria Fire Department's Engine 20 was returning from a call, the department said in an online update. As Engine 20 was crossing an intersection, a truck struck the apparatus' rear driver's side.

The crash's impact sent the apparatus into a 180-spin, eventually flipping on its side. The truck sustained major damage to its front end, according to the department.

Three firefighters and the truck's driver were taken to the hospital with injuries that weren't considered life-threatening. The firefighters were released, but the truck driver's condition was not known, the department said.

Police cited the truck's driver with driving under the influence, disobeying a traffic control signal, failure to wear a seat belt, illegal transportation of alcohol and using a prohibited electronic communication device while driving, according to the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois.

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