Updated: Cal Fire Battalion Chief Hit While Helping Motorist Near Murrieta

Updated 5/515 at 5 p.m.

By City News Service

A Riverside County Fire Department battalion chief hurt in a traffic accident near Murrieta was on the mend Friday.

Firefighter Casey Hartman, 44, suffered a leg injury about 4:30 p.m. Thursday when a driver struck his vehicle as he attempted to help a stranded motorist on Borel Road, near Warren Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Hartman, who was on duty, stopped his marked fire department pickup truck in the eastbound lane of Borel, partially blocking the lane and shielding the motorist’s disabled car, the CHP reported.

According to Officer Mike Lassig, it was raining at the time and the roadway was slick. He said 36-year-old Ciria Flores of Nuevo was westbound on Borel in her 2004 Nissan Quest and allowed the van to drift into the eastbound lane, where the Nissan ran into Hartman’s parked truck.

“The pickup truck was pushed toward the southeast and struck Chief Hartman’s left leg, pushing him to the ground,” Lassig said. “Flores’ vehicle continued to rotate out of control ... and the right rear of the van collided with the left rear corner of the pickup truck before rolling down a small dirt embankment and coming to a complete stop.”

The fireman was transported to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar for treatment of a moderate injury from which he’s recovering, Lassig said.

Flores was not hurt, nor was the motorist whom Hartman stopped to assist.

The crash remains under investigation

photo courtesy Cal Fire