MERIDEN – A city firefighter was taken to the hospital Sunday after a chain-reaction accident resulted in the firefighter being struck by a state police cruiser, according to fire officials.
The fire department was on the scene of an accident Sunday morning on Interstate 691 East in the area of Exit 7 when a motorist struck an ambulance. The ambulance then smashed into a police cruiser, which hit the firefighter, Dan Costa.
Costa, a member of Meriden Fire Department Engine 4, suffered a laceration and broken hand and was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital, Deputy Chief David Bowen said.
“He’s part of our team and part of our family,” Bowen said. “As important as it is to take care of the people in the city, it’s also important to take care of one another. We’re glad he is OK.”
The fire department reported on its Twitter account after the accident that there were multiple crashes on both sides of I-691 Sunday morning believed due to black ice.
Bowen said there were even multiple spinouts on the opposite side of the highway while crews were on scene.
Assistant Chief Robert Burdick was in his own accident responding to the scene, slipping on the ice as he drove. Bowen said Burdick had a “sore back and leg” afterward.
After the scene was cleared, a small fire broke out in a kitchen on Windsor Avenue, Bowen said. The fire started on the stove on the first floor of 30 Windsor Ave., Bowen said. The fire spread to the cabinets, Bowen said, before it was extinguished.
