Alonzo Small

The News Journal

A 21-year-old man operating a dirt bike that crashed with a Wilmington firetruck Saturday afternoon has died from his injuries, city police said.

His name is being withheld until his family is notified, police said.

Preliminary investigation revealed the firetruck was traveling east on West Fourth and North Van Buren streets when it was involved in a crash with a dirt bike traveling northbound, said Sgt. Andrea Janvier, a spokeswoman for the Wilmington Police Department.

The firetruck was responding to an emergency call, Janvier said.

Police say the firetruck entered the intersection of North Van Buren Street with the traffic light green for all eastbound traffic.

At the same time, the dirt bike was traveling northbound on the street, and police said the operator failed to stop at a red light.

Failure to stop at the light caused the man to crash into the firetruck, according to police.

Wilmington Fire Department personnel treated the victim on the scene until New Castle County Paramedics arrived.

The victim was transported to Christiana Hospital in critical condition, Janvier said.

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No firefighters were injured in the crash.

The crash was called in about 1:20 p.m., Janvier said.

The special operations division's traffic unit handled the investigation, Janvier said.

Anyone with information relative to this incident is asked to call Sgt. James Karschner at (302) 571-4414.

Contact Alonzo Small at (302) 324-2856 or asmall@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @P_AlonzoSmall.