9 firefighters injured when driver swerves to avoid dog

Nine firefighters were injured when a U.S. Forest Service truck rolled off the side of a Palmdale road near the Angeles National Forest when the driver apparently swerved to avoid a dog, authorities said today. The crash occurred at 9:33 p.m. Monday on Mount Emma Road, east of Cheseboro Road, California Highway Patrol Officer Krystal Carter said. A dog was found at the scene uninjured, and animal control officers were called to take it away, Carter said. The vehicle was transporting firefighters back to their quarters after they patrolled the area on a Fourth of July fire watch assignment, said Nathan Judy of the U.S. Forest Service. The truck rolled about 15 feet down an embankment, Judy said. Los Angeles County firefighters extricated three firefighters from the truck, Judy said. Those three firefighters were airlifted them for hospital treatment, and six others were transported by ground ambulance...more