A child was critically injured and three firefighters were also hurt Wednesday when a car and a fire truck collided in Clayton County, authorities said.
The crash happened at Upper Riverdale Road and Old Dixie Road, according to Clayton fire spokesman David Vazquez. A 6-year-old girl, who has been identified as Akhirah Muhammad, was airlifted to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston in critical condition.
The preliminary indication is that the car, a Mercedes-Benz, ran a traffic light at the intersection, according to a media release from the Georgia State Patrol. The car, which had a driver and two passengers, was struck by the fire truck, which was not en route to an emergency and did not have its emergency equipment activated.
Immediately after the collision, the firefighters jumped out of their truck and began treating the injured people in the car, Channel 2 Action News reported. The firefighters’ names are Lt. David Leply, Sgt. Christopher Stripling, and firefighter Jamal Daniel, Vazquez said.
The critically injured girl was not breathing and did not have a pulse when the firefighters began their treatment, Channel 2 reported.
The driver of the car, identified as 18-year-old Safiyyah Muhammad, was taken to Atlanta Medical Center. A 10-year-old child, identified as Maryam Muhammad, also was flown to Egleston, the GSP said.
The firefighters were taken to Southern Regional Medical Center for observation. They have been released.
The critically injured girl was in the front passenger seat. She was restrained by a seat belt and not a child safety seat, the GSP said. The 10-year-old girl was restrained in the back seat in the middle.
The accident is still under investigation.
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