HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Harrisburg firefighter is in critical condition after being involved in a crash Friday evening.
City fire Lieutenant Dennis DeVoe’s vehicle was struck by another driver while he was en route to a two-alarm fire on Lexington Street that killed a three-year-old girl and injured four other people. DeVoe, a 21-year veteran of the Harrisburg Bureau of Fire, had just left a memorial service for a fellow firefighter who recently died of cancer, according to fire Chief Brian Enterline.
Police say the other driver, 19-year old Khanyae Kendall, was under the influence and ran a stop sign in the area of Walnut and 14th Streets in Harrisburg. She allegedly crashed into the passenger side of Lt. DeVoe’s vehicle, sending it through a fence and into a parking lot. She then fled the scene, according to police.
“Lieutenant DeVoe was trying to respond to an incident where he was trying to save some additional lives,” Harrisburg police Capt. Gabe Olivera said. “In that course of action, [he] was critically injured by someone who was very careless.”
Lt. DeVoe was taken to Penn State Hershey Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition.
Kendall later went to an area hospital on her own seeking treatment, but when officers arrived, they determined she was the driver who crashed into Lt. DeVoe’s vehicle. She has been charged with vehicular aggravated assault, driving under the influence, driving without a license, receiving stolen property, and other charges.
The Harrisburg Bureau of Fire released this statement:
