Three people were rushed to the hospital after a crash in Fort Lauderdale early Wednesday before a fire rescue truck was also hit at the intersection of West Broward Boulevard and 7th Avenue. The first crash happened just before 4:15 a.m., with the cause of the crash and the conditions of the victims not immediately known. After that collision, a Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue truck was also hit by one of the vehicles involved in the initial crash.
“I heard a loud banging, and when I came out, I seen the black car going up the street, and the white car slammed into the fire truck,” said one witness, who declined to provide his name. “A lot of people stopped… It was real bad.” The three firefighters on board the rescue truck were not hurt in the secondary collision, according to officials.
The witness described the severity of the initial crash and the rescue efforts required to extract the victims. “They had to use the Jaws of Life to get the people out. They were trapped, on the driver’s side they were trapped,” he said. “It was horrible.” The victims in the initial crash were stuck after the impact, requiring specialized extraction equipment to free them from their vehicle.
Both directions of Broward Boulevard were closed to traffic following the crashes and may remain so into the morning rush, officials said. Drivers were advised to take Sunrise Boulevard as an alternate route to avoid the closure area. The intersection of West Broward Boulevard and 7th Avenue remained an active scene as authorities continued their investigation.
The Fort Lauderdale Police Department and Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue responded to the scene to manage the multi-vehicle incident and provide medical assistance. Emergency responders worked to clear the roadway while conducting their preliminary investigation into the cause of the initial collision. The secondary impact involving the fire rescue truck added complexity to the scene management and response efforts.
Traffic disruptions were expected to continue as investigators worked to determine the circumstances that led to the early morning crash. The closure of both directions of Broward Boulevard created significant impacts for morning commuters in the Fort Lauderdale area. Authorities have not released information about the identities of those hospitalized or provided updates on their current medical conditions.