London Police are investigating a two vehicle collision late Thursday night involving a London District Fire Chief who was injured while en route to a call on Wonderland Rd. South.
It happened around 10:30 p.m. on a stretch of Wonderland between Viscount and McMaster Drive.
The District Fire Chief’s vehicle, described as a half-ton pickup truck, collided with a Mazda 3.
“The driver of the car, and the District Chief on the call were both transported by ambulance to hospital,” said Platoon Chief Jim Stockdale.
Injuries to both drivers were described as minor. The Mazda 3 was towed from the scene, while damage to the District Chief’s vehicle was still drivable.
The cause of Thursday night’s collision remains under investigation, and no charges have been laid.
Still, the incident has fire officials reminding motorists to respect the rules of the road.
“The highway traffic act states that traffic needs to pull to the right and stop for emergency vehicles, coming in either direction. This is something we find on a daily basis that is a problem,” said Stockdale.
“If you see lights and sirens, we’re responding to an emergency. It’s not done lightly. We don’t train with lights and sirens, we don’t do anything but respond to emergencies with lights and sirens. So, if an emergency vehicle of any stripe is responding to a call, the public needs to respect that and get out of the way,” he said.
As for the original call firefighters were responding to at the time of the collision?
It was a minor grease fire at the A&W restaurant on Wonderland near Southdale. One staff member suffered minor burns, and was treated at the scene.
