CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — Chesterfield firefighters were protected when a pickup hauling a trailer full of cars slammed into a ladder truck on Interstate 95 Thursday, according to Chesterfield Fire and EMS. They said the crash happened just after 2 a.m. on I-95 South between Route 288 and Route 10.
“[Truck 214’s] purpose was there to protect the folks working the scene, because it's very dangerous on any of these roadways. Whether it's day or night, people are traveling fast, not paying attention, or distracted for whatever reason,” Battalion Chief Sal Luciano recalled.
Thankfully, no one was injured, but Luciano talked about how first responders can still experience trauma during the incident.
“Although they weren't injured, it still takes a mental toll, right? They heard these noises. Their truck got hit there. It could have easily been them. It's always a realization of how fragile it is and how at any moment, things could change,” he stated.
Photos captured at the scene of the crash show that the ladder truck suffered some backend damage, but the truck did its job.
“We would much rather have the apparatus damaged than, of course, our folks. But it's still an issue. When they hit some apparatus, it's out of service and we'll have to be repaired. There are costs involved,” Luciano explained.
Chesterfield Police said the driver involved was not injured and was issued three citations in relation to the crash: 46.2-816 following too close, 46.2-715 improper display of plates, and 46.2-921.1 fail to move over for emergency vehicle.
Luciano said events like this highlight Virginia’s Move Over Law, which requires drivers to move over a lane when it’s safe to do so and they see flashing red, blue, or amber lights.
“We've been talking about this for years, and you would think by now people would realize the danger and the risk that there is a Move Over Law. It's a law that the police will enforce, state troopers or police will enforce. But besides that, more importantly, the safety of the first responders and anybody working on the side of the road,” Luciano stated.
This event is not the first for Chesterfield Fire and EMS regarding vehicles crashing into their fire trucks.
In March 2024, a man was charged with DUI after police said he crashed into a Chesterfield fire truck, injuring four people, including two firefighters.
In Oct. 2018, Hanover County firefighter Lt. Brad Clark was killed and three other firefighters were injured when a tractor-trailer slammed into their firetruck on I-295 while they responded to another crash. Clark is memorialized on Virginia license plates that both honor his memory and remind drivers about the state's Move Over law.
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