GRIFFIN — The driver of a utility truck was transported by air ambulance to an Atlanta hospital Thursday afternoon after a three-vehicle crash that also involved a Spalding County fire engine and a pickup truck, the Georgia State Patrol confirmed Friday afternoon.
The accident occurred around 2 p.m. Thursday in the southbound lanes of Highway 19/41, just north of Birdie Road, according to Spalding County officials.
According to a statement released Thursday by Spalding County, Spalding County Fire Department’s Engine Four was dispatched to a call regarding a motor vehicle collision. While firefighters were assisting WellStar EMS at the scene, a commercial bucket truck collided with the rear of the fire engine.
GSP troopers reported the fire engine was parked in the left northbound lane of 19/41 with its lights activated when the accident occurred.
The bucket truck “did not stop and struck the rear of the firetruck, causing the bucket truck to overturn, entrapping the driver. The impact caused the fire truck to travel to the median before being struck by a grey Dodge pickup that was also unable to stop after the initial collision between the bucket truck and the firetruck, according to GSP’s statement.
The driver of the bucket truck was extricated from the vehicle. He was then transported to an Atlanta hospital for further medical attention, the county reported.
A passenger in the bucket truck was not injured, and the driver of the pickup truck complained of minor injuries, officers reported.
The firetruck was unoccupied at the time of the accident due to all firefighters assisting with the crash. No firefighters were injured in the accident, the GSP and Spalding County confirmed.
No further information on the driver of the bucket truck was available at press time Friday.
The highway reopened shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday.
