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Oct. 21--GUILFORD -- A car went out of control on Interstate 95 early Thursday and hit a firetruck carrying two firefighters, state and local officials said Friday afternoon.
The firefighters and car driver went to the Yale-New Haven Hospital Shoreline Medical Center with minor injuries, state police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said. The firefighters were treated and released the same day, according to Assistant Fire Chief Wayne Vetre.
The firetruck damage is being evaluated.
The truck had been parked in the northbound lane of I-95 about a half-mile south of Exit 57 with its lights on because it had been responding to an accident, Vance said. The car was in the northbound left lane when the operator lost control around 12:15 a.m. and crashed into the rear of the truck, he added.
State police cited the car driver with traveling too fast and failure to drive in the proper lane. The car was towed, but the truck was driven back to town.
Vetre said the firefighters are "doing well," but said he couldn't comment on whether they must take time off for any injuries.
The truck was damaged in August as firefighters were responding to incident as Hurricane Irene was clearing. A branch fell on the cab and the roof was damaged.
The truck had actually been slated for replacement even before the August mishap. The new vehicle is still about a year away from its delivery, Vetre said.
"It takes between 10 and 16 months for a truck to come in. It takes so long to build them. It's not like with cars, where you have mass production because there's so much that goes into a firetruck," Vetre said.
The department will see what it takes to repair the damaged truck with the help of an insurance adjuster, Vetre said.
