An FDNY tower ladder responding to an emergency collided with a commercial van in Brooklyn, setting off a chain-reaction crash involving an Access-a-Ride bus and an SUV

By Colin Mixson, Kerry Burke
New York Daily News

NEW YORK — A 78-year-old man was killed and 11 people were injured, including five firefighters, after an FDNY fire truck responding to an emergency collided with a van, causing a wild chain-reaction crash involving two other vehicles in Brooklyn on Tuesday, according to law enforcement officials.

The fire truck was heading east on Avenue S with its lights on when it was struck by the driver of a commercial van heading north on W. 11th St. in Gravesend around 6:45 p.m., cops said.

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The collision sent the fire truck careening into an Access-a-Ride bus, which in turn slammed into a Lexus SUV, police said.

A law enforcement source said the FDNY vehicle was Ladder 149, which struck a van belonging to Frontier HVAC, a heating company located in Bensonhurst, after the driver failed to yield to the fire truck.

Michael Liu, the owner of Frontier HVAC, confirmed that his driver was injured and his vehicle destroyed in the crash, saying the front half of the van was ripped off when the fire truck slammed into it.

“My driver is in the hospital,” said Liu, who spoke to his driver following the collision. “My van had a green light and the firefighter’s had a red. The firefighter’s truck was going very fast.”

A 78-year-old passenger in the Access-a-Ride was rushed to South Brooklyn Health in critical condition, but he could not be saved, cops said.

Three other Access-a-Ride passengers and their driver were taken to South Brooklyn Health in stable condition, said police.

The van driver was taken to NYU Langone Hospital, and the Lexus driver was taken to an area hospital, both in stable condition.

Five firefighters were taken to an area hospital in stable condition, cops said.

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