An illegally parked pickup truck is a contributing factor between a two-car crash involving a Salina Police Department vehicle and a Salina Fire Department vehicle that was responding to an emergency.

Salina Police Capt. Paul Forrester tells KSAL News that the crash occurred at 2:25 p.m. Tuesday at the intersection of E. Ash St. and N. Columbia Ave.

A 2017 Ford Explorer belonging to the Salina Police Department, driven by 25-year-old Karl Scheppelmann, Salina, was traveling southbound on Columbia when it failed to stop at a stop sign. It was hit on the passenger side in the intersection by a 2018 Chevy Suburban that is a Salina Fire Department vehicle.

The driver of the fire department vehicle was responding to an emergency and had its lights and sirens engaged traveling eastbound on Ash. The police cruiser was not responding to an emergency and did not have its lights or sirens engaged.

Investigation of the crash finds that a 1989 Ford F-150 pickup truck was illegally parked in front of a residence in the 200 block of N. Columbia. The truck was parked 11 feet, six inches from the stop sign. The owner, 63-year-old Luther Martin, Salina, was cited for illegal parking–parking within 30 feet of stop sign.

Scheppelmann had neck pain and hip while the fire department employee had left arm pain due to the collision, however, neither needed treatment. The fire department vehicle also had a 20-year-old male employee from Lindsborg who was not hurt.

Officer Scheppelmann is cited for disobeying a stop sign.

Both vehicles sustained disabling damage and had to be towed away from the scene.