A Washougal driver was seriously injured Wednesday night after he crashed into a fire engine that was about to leave the scene of another crash on state Highway 14 in Camas.
At about 9:20 p.m., crews with the Camas-Washougal Fire Department were dispatched to a single-vehicle crash on the westbound side of the highway just east of the 192nd exit, according to the fire agency and Washington State Patrol.
Troopers and medical personnel responded to the scene and evaluated the driver, 43-year-old Chad Houghton, Trooper Will Finn said. Troopers arrested Houghton on suspicion of driving under the influence of intoxicants. While being processed, he complained of minor injury and was taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, Finn said.
During the response to the crash, a fire engine partially blocked the left lane of westbound traffic, which is standard safety procedure, according to the fire department.
As they prepared to depart the scene and return to the station, a small car traveling at “highway speed” struck the rear passenger side of the fire engine, the fire department said.
Alexander Kolbe, 19, of Washougal was the driver of the 2002 Mazda Protege that crashed into the unoccupied and legally parked engine, the state patrol reported.
The Mazda was destroyed, and the driver of the vehicle suffered serious injuries and required extrication, the fire agency said.
No firefighters were injured, but the engine involved in the crash sustained significant damage and is out of service until it is repaired.
Troopers said that the engine had its emergency lights activated and that inattention caused the crash. Kolbe will face a charge of second-degree negligent driving, troopers said.
“The fire department would like to remind everyone to drive cautiously and slowly when coming upon emergency vehicles working on the roadway,” Chief Nick Swinhart wrote in a press release.
“In 2015 in the United States, five firefighters lost their lives after being hit by vehicles while working on emergency scenes. The department is thankful no personnel were injured at this incident.”
