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They Don't Make 'em Like They Used To

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Updated.  Scroll down.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN ROCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, a Farmington ambulance was transporting a patient to Frisbie Memorial Hospital and it was being followed by a Frisbie ambulance that had been assisting it on the call.  As they were going through an intersection in town, an Acura sedan drove into the side of the Frisbie ambulance.

frisbie-fostersdemo

Foster’s Daily Democrat photo

The Acura’s front end was demolished with the bumper ending up 20 ft. away and the driver needing an ambulance himself for injuries he sustained in the wreck.

The ambulance crew was ok and the only damage to the truck was what they described as ” a clipboard-size dent.”

Foster’s Daily Democrat has the REPORT.

Update, Tues. AM :
It is now reported that the woman driving the Acura has been charged with failure to yield the right-of-way to an emergency vehicle.  Foster’s reports:

According to police, the ambulance was traveling south on North Main Street with its emergency lights and sirens activated, following another ambulance from Farmington that was transporting a patient to Frisbie’s emergency room. According to Frisbie officials, the ambulance involved in the accident was not transporting a patient.

Police said the ambulance entered the intersection of Bridge and Union streets and was struck in the left front corner of its body by the front bumper of the Acura. Foster was traveling on Union Street, police said, when she started from a stop after the first ambulance passed and allegedly struck the second ambulance.

Interviews police conducted with witnesses revealed the second ambulance did have its emergency signals on.

Posted by on January 5, 2009 • Filed under: ambulances
  • Dal90

    I’d contest that ticket in a New York minute, and if I was her insurance company I’d be looking directly at the ambulance company.

    I might not win, but I’d sure try.

    http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/xxi/265/265-8.htm

    What’s the emergency for the second ambulance? Their emergency ended when their paramedic got on the other ambulance to assist.

    Yes, I do believe there are limited times you can justify lights & sirens for coverage move-ups; and similiarly there are limited times you can justify lights & sirens for the intercept vehicle to follow to the hospital since without them it would be hopelessly lost in traffic.

    But those are very limited, and I have a hard time believing going to pick up your partner at the hospital in Nashua normally amounts to an emergency.

    It was sillyness like this that made the state legislatures specifically ban fire departments from returning to quarters lights & siren. I used to pass through a town semi-regularly that still returned to quarters with their lights on — want to talk about ways to confuse the public when you have a firetruck sitting at a red light with all it’s red and white lights running, but it’s not moving?

    We run our medic intercepts back to the hospital cold here; I do see the practice of them running hot sometimes around Worcester.

  • Dal90

    I’d contest that ticket in a New York minute, and if I was her insurance company I’d be looking directly at the ambulance company.

    I might not win, but I’d sure try.

    http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/xxi/265/265-8.htm

    What’s the emergency for the second ambulance? Their emergency ended when their paramedic got on the other ambulance to assist.

    Yes, I do believe there are limited times you can justify lights & sirens for coverage move-ups; and similiarly there are limited times you can justify lights & sirens for the intercept vehicle to follow to the hospital since without them it would be hopelessly lost in traffic.

    But those are very limited, and I have a hard time believing going to pick up your partner at the hospital in Nashua normally amounts to an emergency.

    It was sillyness like this that made the state legislatures specifically ban fire departments from returning to quarters lights & siren. I used to pass through a town semi-regularly that still returned to quarters with their lights on — want to talk about ways to confuse the public when you have a firetruck sitting at a red light with all it’s red and white lights running, but it’s not moving?

    We run our medic intercepts back to the hospital cold here; I do see the practice of them running hot sometimes around Worcester.