Fire engine crashes into minivan, one injured

A 17-year-old girl was injured when a fire engine struck a minivan Monday morning in east Vancouver.

The minivan spun into the fire engine’s path following a collision in oncoming lanes, according to the Vancouver Police Department. The crash occurred at about 8:30 a.m. on Southeast 162nd Avenue near Seventh Street.

It all started when southbound driver Todd Anderson, 30, of Vancouver switched lanes to avoid hitting two vehicles that had stopped suddenly in front of him, Vancouver police spokeswoman Kim Kapp said. As Anderson switched lanes, his vehicle clipped a minivan in another lane, spinning the minivan into the path of the northbound fire engine, Kapp said.

Engine 10 was transporting a Vancouver Fire Department crew to their station after responding to a commercial fire on Mill Plain Boulevard, Vancouver Fire Department Battalion Chief Rick Steele said. Steele said that the driver of the engine didn’t have time to avoid the collision.

“Our guys are pretty shook up,” Steele said. “We’re not supposed to hurt people. We’re supposed to help people.”

Kaylee Padilla, 17, of Vancouver was the driver and sole occupant of the minivan, Kapp said. Immediately after the collision, Padilla was unconscious and had to be cut out of the vehicle, Steele said. She later regained consciousness and was taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, where she was listed in serious condition.

Kapp said that the engine sustained damage in the crash, and that no citations had been issued. Vancouver’s traffic detectives are investigating the collision.