Man injured after vehicle hit by fire truck responding to structure fire

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, April 9, 2024

ROCKWELL — A man was injured after a fire truck crashed into his car in an intersection while attempting to respond to a reported structure fire near Rockwell on Monday.

The crash occurred in front of Rockwell Cafe in downtown Rockwell, in the intersection of U.S. Highway 52 and N.C. Highway 152. The Rockwell Rural Fire Department truck was responding to a reported structure fire on Grand Oaks Drive when it crashed into a Chevrolet HHR in the intersection, according to Rockwell Police Chief Cody Trexler.

The driver suffered minor injuries in the crash and was transported privately to the hospital, said Trexler. No firefighters were injured in the crash. The driver’s injuries were the results of glass shards becoming embedded into his hand, said Rockwell Rural Fire Chief Alan Shinn.

The fire on Grand Oaks Drive that firefighters were responding to was a confirmed house fire. Shinn said that the fire was contained to a bedroom, with most of the damage being a mattress that had caught on fire with a resident on it. The resident was reportedly smoking and ashes fell onto the mattress, causing it to catch fire, according to Shinn.

After escaping the house before firefighters arrived, the resident was transported to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist hospital with burn injuries.

The Rockwell Police Department is investigating the incident, and Trexler said that no charges are currently pending as both parties had contributing factors in the crash.