By Matthew Monks
A truck from Squad Co. 288 was speeding north up 69th Street past 43rd Avenue with its siren blaring when the white Chrysler minivan apparently swerved in front of it at 1:20 p.m., said Juan Pineda, 40, who witnessed the accident from his car about a block away.
“The fire engine was heading this way on 69th and the white van cut in front of them,” Pineda said. “I told my wife 'look, look, look what's gonna happen … 30 seconds boom!'”
Deputy Borough Commander Patrick McNally said the minivan passengers, a 35-year-old man and 65-year-old woman, were taken to Elmhurst Hospital with injuries “not life-threatening.” A fireman riding behind the engine's front passenger seat suffered a minor injury to his left shoulder and was taken to Jamaica Hospital, he said.
He did not identify any of the injured.
Pineda said the woman was riding in the back seat of the van and had to be pulled out of the side passenger window after the collision. She appeared unconscious after the accident. The man, he said, looked seriously injured after the engine smashed into the driver side door, wrecking the minivan.
“I feel sorry for the people,” he said.
McNally said the engine was responding to a call at 37th Street and 79th Avenue in Woodside, which several other engines responded to and brought under control.
