ONLOOKERS have been left “traumatised” after watching a fire engine crash into customers sitting outside a city restaurant.
A family were walking towards the restaurant when the emergency vehicle crashed outside Benedicto’s on Sidbury, seriously injuring two people.
The driver of the fire engine, a man in his 30s, was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury through careless driving, and has since been released under investigation.
A woman, who has asked to remain anonymous, said the fire engine had veered off path while attempting to turn right, after a car crashed into the side of it.
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She has praised the response of the fire crew, saying they rushed to help the two injured people, alongside restaurant staff and members of the public.
“The crew were amazing, given the circumstances and what they had just witnessed,” she said.
“They started working on the man who was injured straight away.
“The staff were brilliant too, they came out to help move things out of the way. Everyone was working together.
“There were members of the public directing traffic, people helping the injured and staff helping to clean up.
“Emotions were running high and we were trying to calm people down.”
She has described the incident as “traumatic” and said her young son has been finding it difficult to cope with what he saw.
“It was very traumatic and chaotic,” she said.
“My son is really struggling to come to terms with what has happened. He’s struggling to sleep.”
She has also called on police to speak to more witnesses, saying she has not yet been spoken to by officers.
“We spoke to an officer at the scene and they said they would come and see us the next day but no one did,” she said.
“There needs to be a deeper investigation.”
West Mercia Police said it was prioritising witnesses based on their proximity to the crash.
“Officers are working through a number of enquiries in relation to the collision and contacting all witnesses in due course, prioritising those who were injured and in the closest vicinity to those who were injured,” a spokesperson said.
“If you witnessed the collision and have provided your details to police, officers will be in contact as soon as possible.
“If you have not yet spoken to police, please report information here: Making a road traffic incident report | West Mercia Police.”
