Nokesville, Va.- A Prince William County fire vehicle slammed into a utility pole in Nokesville on Thursday, leaving at least 15 homes without power.
The 2001 Chevrolet Suburban belonging to the county Department of Fire and Rescue hit the pole outside the county's Public Safety Training Center on Carriage Ford Road sometime at 2:45 p.m.
At least one man was taken to the hospital but did not appear to have suffered life-threatening injuries.
The driver of the SUV was taken attempting to avoid a car that was turning into a driveway, said Prince William police spokeswoman Erika Hernandez.
Electricity to homes on Carriage Ford Road near the crash site was off and Dominion Virginia Power crews worked to restore power. While utility crews in a bucket truck toiled with the lines, firefighters
and a National Guard Humvee worked to clear a path for the workers.
Firefighters were called to the crash, but when the learned they were no longer needed they turned their pumper truck around. That's when the truck got stuck in a snow bank in a front yard.
With the truck's tires spinning, crews with shovels began to dig out the large yellow truck from the snow. They also dumped water from the truck to lighten the weight of the vehicle, officials said.
About 4:30 p.m., the truck was freed and back on the road.
Neighbors looked on, hoping that their power would soon be restored.
"I just put a turkey into the oven and started to cook it and then the power went off," said Russell Homes, a former Maryland firefighter who has lived on Carriage Ford Road for 32 years.
The neighbors said they were fortunate not to have lost power during the blizzard.
The crash is the second in as many weeks involving a county fire and rescue vehicle.
On Feb. 3, a 65-year-old woman driver collided with a county firetruck at the intersection of Nokesville Road and Fitzwater Drive. She was charged with failing to obey a red light. The 37-year-old driver of
the fire engine was taken to the hospital as a precaution.
Staff writer Uriah A. Kiser can be reached at 703-878-8065.
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