Wenham firetruck is out of service this week after icy conditions sent a vehicle colliding with the truck, injuring a call firefighter, who was sent to Beverly Hospital.
The firefighter, whom Chief Robert Blanchard would not identify, was treated for minor injuries after the Monday morning accident and has returned to work.
The firetruck, a Ford F350 pickup equipped with a pumping unit on the back, remains in a body shop while the town waits for a cost estimate for repairs, Blanchard said.
The Fire Department is using a reserve vehicle — an older, all-purpose, four-wheel-drive truck — in the meantime.
"All things considered, we’re very fortunate that only the truck was injured," Blanchard said. "We’re very happy he (the call firefighter) wasn’t seriously hurt."
The accident occurred as emergency personnel were responding to an accident at the intersection of Essex Street and Grapevine Road before 8 a.m. Monday.
Cold, rainy conditions had caused icy, treacherous roads, Blanchard said.
"One of our firefighters, the driver, had parked and was stepping out of the truck," Blanchard said. "The car hit him from the rear — fortunately, he wasn’t seriously hurt — and the car continued and slid and hit the truck. He was knocked to the ground."
The driver of the car was not hurt and will not be charged.
The firetruck was towed to MHQ in Marlborough, a business that sells and services municipal vehicles and is where the vehicle was purchased. Blanchard said the damage is probably not extensive enough to render the truck totaled and hopes to receive a repair estimate by the end of the week. The truck was purchased within the last five years, he said.
