Man injured when hit by firetruck in Costa Mesa

July 27, 2016 7:05 PM PT

A pedestrian was hospitalized after a firetruck hit him in Costa Mesa on Wednesday morning.

Police said the Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Department truck was on its way back to its station when it struck a 37-year-old man in the 500 block of West 19th Street at 8:17 a.m.

The man suffered moderate injuries and was taken to Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana, Costa Mesa police Sgt. Jerry Souza said.

Newport Beach police were called to investigate the incident. They declined to immediately provide more details.

However, Costa Mesa Fire Chief Dan Stefano said witnesses claimed the man intentionally lunged in front of the truck.

According to Stefano, the fire engine’s driver swerved trying to avoid the man. The quick reaction likely lessened the blow and saved the pedestrian from worse injury, Stefano said.

Jeremiah Dobruck

Jeremiah Dobruck was a public safety reporter for the Daily Pilot. He first came to the Pilot as an editorial intern in 2009. After a handful of other media-related jobs, he was hired full-time at the Pilot as a copy editor in 2012. He holds a bachelor’s in journalism from Cal State Fullerton. He left the Daily Pilot in 2016.