Just seconds after Fort Worth firefighters stepped out to assist at a crash early Saturday morning, a truck slammed into their parked engine — a placement so crucial, officials say, it likely saved lives.

The collision occurred after Engines 5 and 14 were dispatched around 3:30 a.m. to a single-vehicle accident at the U.S. 287 interchange southeast of downtown Fort Worth.

Engine 14 found the crash while circling back after initially not locating it and parked at a 45-degree angle to shield the scene from oncoming traffic, according to the Fort Worth Fire Department .

"There is absolutely no doubt that Engine 14 and the way it was parked to protect the incident scene saved the lives of our crew and the driver of the original crash," fire officials said in a news release.

Truck occupan

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