TEMECULA: Firefighters hospitalized after crash in front of Wolf Creek’s Fire Station 92

TEMECULA — Two firefighters were hospitalized with minor injuries after a small pickup truck plowed into a fire engine, Monday evening, Jan. 15. The collision, which happened as the engine was pulling onto fire station property, caused minor damage to the engine and moderate damage to the pickup truck. The driver of the truck was not injured in the collision.

The minor-injury accident happened directly in front of Temecula’s Wolf Creek Fire Station 92. The station is located on the 32000 block of Wolf Valley Road, directly across the street from Wolf Creek Park in Temecula.

It was not immediately known if the engine was returning from a call for service at the time of the collision.

Fire officials aboard Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire’s Engine 92 notified emergency dispatchers they had just been involved in a collision at 9:59 p.m., and they requested priority assistance as well as law enforcement to the scene.

Upon hearing the crash and subsequent radio transmission, firefighters, paramedics and other officials from Station 92 immediately responded to the scene from inside the fire house, arriving within moments of the accident.

In addition to fire officials who came to the aid of the engine crew from within the station, ten firefighters from two engine companies were dispatched to the scene of the accident, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire spokesperson April Newman explained in an incident report.

After the accident, the truck came to rest in the number one lane of traffic on Wolf Valley Road, near the left hand turn pocket where the engine had just made its turn onto Station 92’s property. The engine managed to pull onto the station house’s rear driveway, where it sat – damaged and leaking hundreds of gallons of water from its storage tank.

While deputies from Riverside County Sheriff’s Temecula Police Station investigated the cause of the collision, paramedics evaluated four firefighters who had been aboard the engine when it was struck.

American Medical Response medics eventually transported two firefighters to an area hospital for further evaluation and treatment. Their injuries were described as minor; however, officials did not specify the nature or extent of their injuries.

Medical personnel also evaluated the driver of the pickup, described as an adult female, who was not identified. She declined further medical treatment at the scene and was not transported.

Evidence at the scene suggested the engine was travelling southwest on Wolf Valley Road towards Wolf Creek Drive just before the collision. As the engine began to make a left turn onto an access road that leads to the rear of fire station when the pickup truck, which was described as a dark-colored GMC Sierra, collided with the passenger side of the fire engine, behind the engine’s rear wheels.

The pickup truck was eventually towed from the scene. The disposition of the damaged engine was not immediately known.

During the investigation, deputies called for the temporary closure of Wolf Valley Road. The roadway was re-opened about two hours after the accident as reported.

The Sheriff’s investigation into the collision is active and ongoing.

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Trevor Montgomery, who recently moved from Riverside County to Shasta County, runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.