East Bay Firefighters Hurt In Crash Recovering, Driver In Hospital
ORINDA (CBS SF) -- Three firefighters involved in a crash on state Highway 24 on Sunday are home from the hospital and recovering from their injuries, Moraga Orinda Fire Chief Randy Bradley said Tuesday.
Around 9:25 a.m. Sunday, firefighters responded to a non-injury report of a blue Chevrolet S-10 colliding with the concrete center divider on eastbound Highway 24 just past Wilder Road in Orinda, fire officials said.
The crash triggered a second crash between a tan Toyota Corolla and a silver Honda Civic, which ended with the Civic being pushed into the Chevrolet. The Corolla stopped on the right shoulder of the freeway, according to CHP Sgt. Scott Siria.
Fire crews arrived on the scene and stopped in the two right lanes, and then the driver and passenger from the Corolla got into the back of an ambulance, Siria said.
A burgundy Acura Legend then spun out of control and crashed into the stopped fire truck, before stopping in the right lane, near the Corolla.
Fire Capt. Michael Rattary, firefighter paramedic Kelly Morris, and veteran firefighter Stephen Rogness were off the shoulder interviewing the driver of the vehicle when a Chevrolet Tahoe lost control, struck the Corolla, pushing it into the driver, and rolled into the three firefighters, Siria said.
All four were transported to John Muir Medical Center, officials said.
Rattary and Rogness were released from the hospital on Monday, and Morris was released Tuesday, Bradley said. Rogness is expected to undergo surgery on his foot later this week, the chief said.
The driver that was struck remains in an intensive care unit in critical condition, Bradley said.
The chief said he and his colleagues are grateful that the firefighters are recovering and appreciative of the community support it has received over the past few days.
On the heels of the near-fatal crash, Bradley said he and other district officials are focusing on enhancing their policies and procedures to "see if we can prevent this from happening again."
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