Driver injured in crash with Spokane Valley fire truck

A driver was seriously injured early Friday in a head-on collision between a car and a Spokane Valley fire engine.

The crash occurred on University Road, south of Mission about 3:50 a.m.

A fire engine from Spokane Valley Fire Department Station 1 was returning from an incident and headed south on University when a northbound sedan collided with the engine, the department said in a news release.

The driver of the sedan, a young man, had veered into the wrong lane, said Deputy Mark Gregory, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.

There is evidence that the driver may have been impaired, Gregory said.

Firefighters in the truck are part of an advanced life support unit.

Crews called in other firefighters and extrication equipment.

The man was cut out of the car and transported to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center with serious injuries, Gregory said.