Firefighters Hospitalized After Fire Engines Crash
Reporting
Dave Carlin NEW YORK (CBS) ― A dozen NYC firefighters responding to a call Saturday evening ended up in a hospital emergency room after their two fire trucks collided in Greenwich Village.

It happened around 6:30 p.m. at the intersection of 7th Avenue and West 10th Street.

One truck ended up with its bumper, grill, and windshield smashed by a light pole, with the other lodged in its side.

Now, the heroes who spend their time saving lives needed to be saved themselves.

"To see firemen on the ground, you don't usually see that," FDNY Chief John Plant said. "They couldn't even help one another, they were pretty banged up. It was pretty shocking to see."

A total of 12 firemen were transported to hospitals, and five had serious head and neck injuries but remain in stable condition. The remaining seven suffered minor injuries.

The two trucks, from Squad 18 and Ladder 12, were on two separate calls – a manhole fire and a gas leak. One truck was traveling on 7th Ave., while the other was taking West 10th St.

""The building shook after they hit the pole," witness Livinous Abugu, manager of Gourmet Garage, said. "It hit the pole, and something from that truck hit our floor here and broke some glasses."

"If that pole wouldn't have been there, it would have killed someone in there," Greenwich Village resident Hector Sabory said.

"I think that's the new truck that they god after 9/11," New Haven resident and tourist Helen Alexander said. "They lost seven people on 9/11, the truck was smashed, and then they got a new one."

Scores of firefighters have been checking in on their injured colleagues at St. Vincent's Hospital, grateful that their fellow firefighters are expected to survive the accident.

An investigation into what caused the collision is already underway.