A vehicle struck a fire engine with three firefighters inside it Thursday morning while emergency crews tended to an injured person on eastbound Route 50 in Davidsonville, authorities said.

At 9 a.m., firefighters and paramedics aided someone suffering from a medical emergency on Route 50 near the Patuxent River Road overpass when a vehicle hit the back of the fire engine, Anne Arundel Fire Department Chief Michael Cox said.

“[Firefighters] were preparing to leave the scene when they were struck from behind,” Cox said. “The three firefighters in the engine were uninjured. However, the driver of the car that hit them did suffer minor injuries.”

The engine was located behind firefighters and paramedics on Route 50, taking up two lanes of traffic, Cox said. It was strategically placed to protect public safety workers, said the spokesman.

Cox said it’s standard protocol to use engines as a safety blockade when tending to incidents on major roadways.

“We park the engines kind of crooked to take up two lanes. What it does, is provide a protective work zone for our firefighters,” Cox said. “It can be very hazardous to work on the roadways. Numerous firefighters and public safety workers have been killed over the years across the country.”

Both the driver of the vehicle and the man firefighters and paramedics tended to prior to the collision were transported Anne Arundel Medical Center via ambulance.

The fire engine suffered "significant damage" and had to be towed from the scene, Cox said.