The impact of the crash, which happened on Northwest 54th Street and 13th Avenue in Liberty City at about 5 p.m., forced both vehicles into the side of a building before they came to rest on the street.

The driver of the Corolla, who was not named, was taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries, Carroll said.

The new Pierce Ascendant ladder truck has already been in use and is more manageable than the original ladder truck Fire Station 31 has. The new ladder truck's ladder reaches 107 ft.

"This is, again, smaller than the original ladder truck so it's more maneuverable getting closer into the condominiums and townhouses if the ladder is needed," said Chief John Daly, Fire Chief Panama City Beach Fire Rescue.

The funding for this new engine was approved before the First Coast News investigation aired. However, since it aired, the county commission approved another new piece of firefighting equipment, a 4-door pumper truck, which will be ready in 2018.

“We are very excited about this new engine,” Crews said in a statement.

“This vehicle replaces an older, more costly to maintain engine that has served its purpose and will now fall into a back-up position with much less use.”