York Area fire command vehicle hit by tractor-trailer on I-83; chief escapes injury

A York Area United Fire and Rescue battalion chief escaped injury Monday morning when his command vehicle was struck by a tractor-trailer on Interstate 83, according to YAUFR Chief Dan Hoff.

Hoff said the crash occurred about 9 a.m. as several YAUFR units were dispatched to crashes on the rain-soaked interstate.

Photos posted to YAUFR's Facebook page show the twisted mass of metal that once was the command vehicle on the shoulder of the interstate.

"Right now, I'm just really grateful that all I lost was a vehicle and not a very valuable person," Hoff said.

Hoff said the command vehicle's driver, a YAUFR battalion chief who he did not name, was headed north in order to turn around and respond to a crash in the southbound lanes.

But while still traveling north, about a half-mile north of Exit 24 in Emigsville, the chief spotted a vehicle on the side of the road and stopped to render aid. He parked on the berm of the road and turned his flashing lights on, Hoff said. 

Within a matter of seconds after the chief got out of the vehicle, "is when his vehicle was struck," Hoff said.

Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the crash, but as of early Monday afternoon, they had not released any details on it.

"When incidents like this happen, I thinks it's an indicator that no matter how many precautions you take, things can still happen," Hoff said.

Motorists also must do what they can to be safe, as YAUFR's Facebook stated, "Please make sure to use caution when driving on wet roadways, and drive carefully in the area of emergency vehicles."

Contact Ted Czech at 717-771-2033.