Two Pennsylvania Firefighters Die in Crash During Search

Two firefighters from the Walnuttown Fire Company in Pennsylvania died Saturday evening after their utility vehicle collided head-on with a sedan during a search for a missing woman in Berks County.

The incident occurred around 6 p.m. in Richmond Township, about 45 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Fire Chief Jeff Buck, 60, and Assistant Fire Chief Robert Shick Jr., both residents of Fleetwood, were traveling northbound on the shoulder of Route 222 in a ZForce Side-by-Side utility vehicle when a southbound Toyota Camry swerved off the road and struck them, according to the Berks County Coroner's Office. The firefighters, who were assisting in the search effort, suffered fatal injuries in the crash.

Witnesses reported seeing the Camry veering erratically before it left the roadway and hit the utility vehicle. The male driver and female passenger in the sedan fled the scene on foot but were apprehended later on Krause Road, officials said. The driver was taken into custody, though charges have not been announced. At the crash site, the utility vehicle was found overturned in the middle of the road, and the sedan sustained heavy damage off to the side.