VALDOSTA — Police and firefighters were injured Monday, one seriously, in an accident involving a downed power line, according to authorities.

Around 4 p.m., following an intense thunderstorm, Valdosta’s fire and police departments responded to a call of a power line down on the Madison Highway near Dampier Street, a statement from the city stated. 

The situation involved a power line which was hanging low, Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk said. 

As police and firefighters arrived on the scene to check the line, a vehicle drove through the section of the roadway where the line was down, the statement said.

“It was a truck that came right through and caught the line, causing it to snap and whip around,” Paulk said.

Three firefighters and one officer received injuries on the scene and were taken to South Georgia Medical Center for treatment, the city’s statement said.

One of the firefighters had to have a leg amputated, the sheriff said. The conditions of the injured police and firefighters are unknown.

Police, deputies and the state patrol had the intersection and surrounding streets blocked off into Monday evening.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.