A Contra Costa County fire captain was struck by a vehicle Friday afternoon while helping police at a crash site on Vasco Road north of Livermore and south of Brentwood, authorities said.
“He was out there assisting CHP officers directing traffic at a crash,” California Highway Patrol officer Daniel Gilmore said Friday afternoon.
The fire captain, hit just before 1:30 p.m. near Los Vaqueros Road, had a lower-extremity injury and was taken to a hospital, Contra Costa County fire captain George Laing said.
The driver of the Jeep Cherokee who “drove through the crash scene” and hit the captain remained at the site and was cooperating with police, Gilmore said. Alcohol was not a factor, Gilmore said.
The fire captain sustained moderate injuries and was expected to fully recover, Gilmore said.
Vasco Road was closed in both directions between Livermore and Brentwood on Friday afternoon for the police investigation. It re-opened a little after 4 p.m.
The area had been beset by foggy conditions for the past week, and the crash where the captain was injured was one of four Friday on Vasco Road, Laing said. Visibility at the time was generally a quarter mile, but at times could have been as short as 50 feet, Laing said, urging motorists to reduce speed in poor driving conditions.
“We really do need the public to be aware of emergency scenes,” Laing added. “You’ve got to slow down.”
