FAYETTE TOWNSHIP — Three people were injured following a violent side-impact crash Wednesday morning between a fire truck and a passenger vehicle.

The collision was so forceful that it tipped the 17-ton fire truck over on its side, dislodging its foaming tank that struck and damaged a third vehicle.

According to eyewitnesses at the scene, a maroon, late-model Pontiac sedan failed to yield at the intersection of U.S. 52 and Charley Creek Road and crossed into the path of a Fayette Township Volunteer Fire Truck responding to an emergency call.

At the time of the crash, the fire truck did have its lights and siren activated.

Eyewitnesses and the Ohio State Highway Patrol both indicated that the Pontiac did not stop or even slow down at the intersection.

Injured in the crash were firefighter Albert Tibbs, 26, Shawn Arthur, 24 and Paul Arthur, 46 both of Ironton. The Arthurs were the occupants of the Pontiac.

All three were taken to Cabell Huntington Hospital where they were treated and released.

The cause as to why the occupants of the Pontiac didn’t see or hear the trucks sirens or lights is under investigation.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration encourages drivers to keep noise levels down enough in cars to hear approaching sirens while making visual sweeps in all directions when gradually merging or yielding back into traffic.

The driver of the third vehicle involved in the crash, Stephen J. Price of Coal Grove was not injured.

Portions of both U.S. 52 and Charley Creek Road were closed while crews cleared the crash scene.

The crash took place around 8:35 a.m.