Three Kingsport firefighters and a Sullivan County EMS EMT were hospitalized after a vehicle struck them as they loaded a patient into an ambulance on I-26

By Robert Sorrell
Bristol Herald Courier

KINGSPORT, Tenn. — Four emergency responders were injured Monday night in a secondary crash on Interstate 26 in Kingsport, according to the Kingsport Fire Department.

Firefighters were working a vehicle crash on westbound I-26 at about 10 p.m. when another crash occurred behind the original incident, the Fire Department reported Tuesday.

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Kingsport firefighters and Sullivan County EMS personnel responded to the secondary crash. While emergency personnel were loading a patient into an ambulance, a westbound vehicle struck three Kingsport firefighters and a Sullivan County EMS EMT.

All four responders were taken to Johnson City Medical Center for treatment. Two were treated and released, while two remained hospitalized Tuesday morning with injuries considered non-life-threatening, according to the Fire Department.

Kingsport Fire Chief Jerry DeBerry said the incident serves as a reminder of the dangers emergency responders and highway workers face while working along roadways.

The fire department urged drivers to slow down, move over and remain alert when approaching emergency scenes.

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