Three Monterey Park firetruck crash victims remain in hospital
Three people, including one firefighter, remain hospitalized after two firetrucks collided in Monterey Park on Wednesday, causing one to slam into a small restaurant.
The three patients are being treated at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, spokeswoman Rosa Saca said Thursday. One patient, identified as a man, was listed in critical condition. The other two -- one of whom is a Monterey Park firefighter with moderate injuries, according to fire Capt. Matt Hallock -- are in stable condition.
Fifteen people, including six firefighters equally split between Alhambra and Monterey Park fire departments, were taken to two hospitals. Garfield Medical Center, which is about 100 yards away from the crash site, released all six of its patients within three hours of the crash, said spokesman Erik Jiang.
Hallock and Alhambra Fire Chief Bill Walker said the firefighters released from the hospitals are recovering at home. It’s unclear when they would return to work.
“Most are just shook up about the incident,” Walker said. “The fact that there was an accident, they got hurt and, in particular, we had citizens that got hurt, it’s far out of anything you’d expect.”
The crash, which is being investigated by a major accident team with the California Highway Patrol, happened shortly after 3 p.m. The Monterey Park fire engine and the Alhambra ladder truck were responding to the same emergency call, a house fire in a one-story home on the south end of the city. For reasons unknown, the vehicles collided, sending the fire engine careening into Lu Dumpling House.
Inside the restaurant, a waitress captured cellphone footage of the aftermath, showing a cluttered dining area, toppled chairs and tables and what appeared to be a person wedged between the front of the fire engine and the restaurant furniture.
Vivian Lu, who co-owns the restaurant with her husband, said more than a dozen employees and customers were inside the dumpling house. One employee described the crash to Lu as sounding like an earthquake.
Since the collision, traffic lanes have reopened and crews boarded up what remains of Lu Dumpling House. The fire engine and ladder truck were towed by Navarro’s Tow Company and taken into CHP custody.
Walker and Hallock said both department’s vehicles received significant damage.
CHP spokeswoman Doris Peniche said it could take several weeks to determine what caused the collision. Officials said they would review everything from the speed of the vehicles to recorded conversations via radio communications.
Peniche also said it’s too early to decide if any traffic citations would be issued or who would be responsible for covering damage to the restaurant.
Before the collision, the fire engine and ladder truck initiated their lights and sirens as they headed toward the house fire. Instead, additional units from Monterey Park and Montebello responded to the emergency call, safely extinguishing the fire, Hallock said.
Twitter: @AliciaDotBanks
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