8 firefighters treated, released after fire trucks collide with pickup truck in Manchester, NH

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Nine people were taken to the hospital in Manchester, New Hampshire, after two fire trucks and a pickup truck collided Friday afternoon.

The crash happened at the intersection of Maple and Bridge Streets. The roads were closed in both directions for the rescues and investigation.

Both fire trucks were from the Manchester Fire Department. Eight of the people taken to the hospital were firefighters and one of them was a civilian. All of the firefighters have since been treated and released, but the condition of the pickup driver is still unknown.

According to the Manchester Fire Department Chief Dan Goonan, something like this has only happened maybe once in the nearly four decades he has worked in the department.

Chief Goonan says the two trucks had been going in different routes while responding to a fire and one car had been heading north on Maple Street, which is a one-way street; the other fire truck had been heading east on Bridge Street when they collided.

“I heard this large crash and then I looked out the window,” said Matthew O’Connell.

“[It was] pretty loud, all three floors of the office heard it and came to the windows,” said Jamie Taylor.

In the middle of the crash, was a pick up truck that had pulled over to get out of the way.

The fire the engines had been responding to was a small porch fire that was put out by other firefighters.

Chief Goonan says he knows, unfortunately, taxpayers will have to foot the bill, but is happy no one was seriously hurt.

“This is very rare but these are big vehicles and they are hard to stop,” said Chief Goonan. “If these vehicles are totaled, which it appears they are significantly damaged, probably $1.7-1.8 million and they are new vehicles. The ladder truck is two years old and had been in service for maybe six months.”

“It’s something you would never expect because it’s emergency vehicles, they respond to emergencies, they don’t become part of it,” said O’Connell.

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