Three injured when Belleville fire truck is overturned in collision with SUV

Three Belleville first responders were injured when a fire engine was turned on its side in a collision with another vehicle early Tuesday morning.

The crash occurred on Illinois 161 near the intersection of Carlyle Avenue shortly after 6 a.m. The fire department’s E-One pumper was headed east on Illinois 161 en route to a reported fire when it was struck and turned over.

Belleville Fire Chief Stephanie Mills could only identify the vehicle that hit the truck as “some kind of SUV.” She said she didn’t know what caused the collision.

Three firefighters aboard the engine were transported to a local hospital and were still being treated Tuesday morning, Mills said.

“Everybody is going to be OK, but they’re pretty dinged up,” Mills said over the phone from the hospital. “We’re still waiting for some tests to come back but it looks like there are no broken bones at this point.”

Belleville Police responded to the scene, but have turned the investigation over to Illinois State Police, said Assistant Chief of Police Mark Heffernan.

According to state police, the driver of the SUV was not injured and the highway was reopened at about 9:30 a.m. An investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing, according to ISP.