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'I saw the fire truck flipped over': Witness recounts the aftermath of the crash that sent 4 Fort Worth firefighters to the hospital

One of the firefighters is in critical condition, another is still hospitalized, and the other two were released and at home to recover.

FORT WORTH, Texas — After hearing a loud noise jolt him from sleep, Southeast Fort Worth resident Jesse Taylor expected the emergency sirens to fade away like always. But this time they didn't fade away at all. 

"Man, I was asleep and maybe about 2:30 this morning. And all of a sudden, I heard this big old crash like a bang, almost like an explosion," said Taylor.

He first thought the noise was just another crash near his house, but this time was different.

"There are always wrecks on that corner," said Jesse Taylor, "But nothing like this."

Four firefighters were sent to hospitals after their truck flipped over in a crash early Tuesday morning.

When Taylor rushed to the corner of Wilbarger and Village Creek, he saw one of the four firefighters in the truck on the ground at the intersection.

"I saw the fire truck flipped over. That's when I walked up there and man, that truck was in shambles," said Jesse Taylor, "I don't know how it happened if was turning right. It was just in shambles."

Four firemen from Fire Station 3 responded to a call at 2:29 a.m. All four firefighters suffered a wide range of injuries when their truck crashed just five minutes into the run. 

"At first I thought they hit a dump truck," said Taylor. "But I just saw the truck and it had all kinds of pieces outside the truck."

During Tuesday's Fort Worth City Council meeting, Fire Chief Jim Davis provided an update on the investigation into the accident.

"A couple of our folks were trapped in the truck," said Chief Davis. 

The firemen were on their way to a house fire less than three miles away in the 4500 block of Pecos Street when it lost control and flipped over. 

Right now, Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes says he has no reason to believe that another vehicle was involved in the incident. But it's still early in the investigation. Chief Noakes is calling on the public to learn more about the moments right before the crash. 

"If you happen to have any footage, either just prior to or maybe even may have caught the accident itself. Please reach out to us," said Chief Noakes. 

The department also plans to interview the four firemen after they recovered.

Jesse Taylor told WFAA that he sees crashes at this intersection all the time and something needs to change.

"It needs some kind of stoplight right there," said Taylor.

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