Party Doll's Weekend Comes to Quick Conclusion

ANOTHER RURAL/METRO AMBULANCE was stolen Sunday morning in the Buffalo suburb of Amherst, New York.  It all began around 6:30 am when a policeman brought Heather Sullivan, 37 and drunk, into the emergency room of the ECMC hospital.  Once she was left unattended, she dashed out the ER entrance where she found the ambulance, also unattended and with  the keys in the ignition.  WGRZ-TV continues the tale:

She started heading east down Kensington Ave. with police in pursuit. Once she reached the first traffic circle, she lost control of the ambulance and went straight through the circle and continued towards the Walgreens. She slammed into a brick wall surrounding the parking lot, slowing her down before the ambulance came to a rest.

WIVB-TV

"Thank God she missed the building though. The brick wall stopped her, otherwise, she would have been definitely into the building," said Amherst Police Senior Investigator Scott Lawida.

The ambulance was heavily damaged due to the impact of the brick wall.

The woman has been arrested and charged with reckless endangerment, grand larceny, criminal possession of a stolen vehicle and other charges.

A Rural/Metro spokesman says that the ambulance will probably be a total loss with damages estimated at $80,000 to $100,000.  The police said that she was driving at an extremely high rate of speed.

WGRZ-TV filed this video report:

The Buffalo News has the STORY.
WIVB-TV has MORE.

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At An Intersection …. Again

A DAVIDSON COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, AMBULANCE was involved in a collision Monday morning while transporting a patient to the hospital.  The ambulance was destined for a hospital in Winston-Salem and had its lights and siren on as it approached the intersection shortly after 8:20 am.

The Dispatch reports:

Jeff Smith, director of Davidson County Emergency Services, said Medic 20 was traveling north on N.C. 109 with lights and siren on en route to Forsyth Medical Center when it approached the intersection. He said it appeared the driver of the ambulance, whose name was not released, did not see a Land Rover that was trying to cross N.C. 109 to get on Old Greensboro Road because of a line of cars leaving West Lexington Avenue Extension that were attempting to turn left onto N.C. 109 South.

Smith said the ambulance was hit in the back quarter at the rear wheels. The ambulance spun around and struck the guardrail on N.C. 109.  "It was actually against the guardrail. They had to pull it up to get the patient out," he said.

The patient did not receive any injuries from the crash and was taken on to the hospital by another unit.  The medic in the back was taken to be checked, but does not appear to have any serious injuries.  The two drivers were uninjured as well as two children that were in the car.

The ambulance, a 2010 Chevrolet had "significant" damage and the Land Rover was totaled.  A state trooper said that the driver of the Land Rover will be charged with failure to yield to emergency traffic.

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From the "Police Interceptor" television series

A creepy encounter

Police Interceptors is a British TV documentary series that profiles the work of a police ANPR Intercept Team (now known as the Territorial Support Team) in Essex, United Kingdom and in series 4 profiles the work of South Yorkshire Police's Road Crime Unit and Derbyshire Police's Road Policing Unit.

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Both Medics Transported

TWO WICHITA, KANSAS, FIRE DEPARTMENT PARAMEDICS were injured, one of them seriously, Monday morning when a car ran a red light and crashed into their ambulance.

KWCH-TV

The collision occurred just before 4 am this morning as the ambulance was returning to its station following a routine call.  As they were traveling through an intersection, a car on the cross street blew through the red light and smashed into the side of the ambulance, knocking it onto its side.  Witnesses say that the car was traveling at a high rate of speed.  It ended up against a building nearby, but there was little damage to the structure.

KWCH-TV

Both paramedics and the driver of the car were injured and taken to the hospital.  Early reports say that one of the medics is in serious condition.

Police are still investigating and have yet to determine if speed and/or alcohol and factors in the wreck.

KWCH-TV has a video report and more photos HERE.
The Wichita Eagle has more details HERE.

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Retired Firefighter Killed

THE DRIVER OF A CAMPBELL COUNTY, VIRGINIA, AMBULANCE was charged today (Friday) with reckless driving following a crash in Lynchburg Thursday afternoon.

WSET-TV

The crash occurred at a controlled intersection when the ambulance drove through a red light and collided with a pickup truck, killing the truck's driver, Dean Anders, 69, a retired Lynchburg firefighter who died on the scene.  The pickup had already entered the intersection when the ambulance came through and struck the truck on the passenger side causing it to flip over.

The Lynchburg News and Advance reports:

A witness at the scene said she was on Campbell Avenue heading into the city, when the ambulance passed her.

Roseann Dickerson, of Lynchburg, said she saw the ambulance slow approaching the light, but continued through the intersection where it hit the pickup. At one point, the ambulance was sitting partially on top of the truck, she said.

Capt. Ryan Zuidema, of the Lynchburg Police Department, said the ambulance was transporting a patient to Lynchburg General Hospital.

That patient, a family member, Kidd and another Campbell County emergency worker staffing the ambulance were taken to Lynchburg General Hospital. None are believed to have life-threatening injuries.

WSET-TV reports in this video that Dean Anders was not wearing a seat belt:

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At An Intersection ….

A PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MARYLAND, Fire Department ambulance was hit broadside Sunday evening while it was making a turn at an intersection.  The ambulance was transporting a patient with lights and siren activated and was making a left turn when a tow truck approaching from the opposite direction struck the ambulance, knocking it into a third vehicle before it careened into a drainage ditch.  The accident happened around 5 pm.

WTTG-TV

The two medics and the patient were all transported and treated for minor injuries along with the driver of the third vehicle.  The tow-truck driver was uninjured but police say he is facing several charges for his action.

Fire Rescue Department spokesman Mark Brady said that there is about $25,000 damage to the older ambulance which may be a total loss.

WTTG-TV Ch. 5 filed this video report from the scene:

Four people hurt after ambulance hit by truck in Clinton, MD: MyFoxDC.com

WJLA-TV Ch. 7 has the details HERE.

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Caught by GPS

A NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, AMBULANCE DRIVER WAS CHASED down by Philadelphia police Tuesday morning and arrested after the NovoCare Ambulance firm advised them that their unit was being operated by a rogue driver.

KYW-TV

Several police agencies began getting phone calls from the attendent in the ambulance complaining that he was being held "against his will" while the driver was meandering around two counties instead of reporting to a hospital for an appointed transfer.  The police called the ambulance company who tracked the unit via its GPS signal and guided to police to the location where it was stopped after a brief chase and the driver taken into custody.

KYW-TV filed this video report with more details from the scene of capture this morning:

Charges are pending, but no action against the driver has been taken yet.

Update, 1:30 pm:
It is now being reported that when the man began wandering and refused to report to the hospital for his assignment, he was told to return to the barn and then he refused.  NBC Ch. 10 continues:

The chase started near Germantown and Stenton Avenue after police officers saw the ambulance parked in a "suspicious" spot. Police say they called the manager of NovoCare to report what they saw. The manager says he called the driver, who lied about where he was at the time, police said. The manager told police the ambulance has a GPS tracker so he knew the driver wasn't where he was supposed to be.

Police say the manager told the employee he was fired and to bring the ambulance back, but the driver made threats and drove by the agency without dropping off the other employee inside. He also told them he was taking the van (sic) home, police said.

That's when the NovoCare employee in the passenger seat called police and told them the driver wouldn't let him out of the ambulance, according to officers on the scene.

The police started their pursuit of the ambulance and the chase lasted less than an hour. When it ended near 2nd and Cheltenham, there were about 10 police cars surrounding the ambulance.

He is being held by the State Police.

Final drive for the ex-employee.  (NBC10)

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Heavy Damage …. Light Injuries

AN INDIANAPOLIS EMS AMBULANCE created a lot of damage Wednesday morning when it crashed through and brought down three electric poles. 

WRTV photo

The ambulance was responding to a medical emergency shortly after 9 am when, for an as-yet unknown reason, it went over the curb and raked the three utililty poles along the distance of a half-block.  Somewhere along the course of the mishap the ambulance also struck the front end of an IndyGo mini-bus.

WRTV

The only injuries were to the bus driver and the only passenger that was on the bus.  They were transported with minor injuries.  According to the city authorities, the amount of damage is listed as "high."

Indianapolis Star

The Indianapolis Star has more photos and the STORY.

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Collision At An Intersection (again)

AN ARCHER COUNTY, TEXAS, AMBULANCE was involved in a collision Monday afternoon in Wichita Falls that left the medical patient dead and four other people with minor injuries.

Times Record News image

The ambulance had picked up a 58-yr.-old man who had been found in a field in Archer City suffering from a swarm of bee stings.  It is not yet known how long he had been there when the medics began transporting him to United Regional Hospital in Wichita Falls.  While entering an intersection, the ambulance was struck in the side by an automobile and the impact knocked the ambulance on its side.

The Times Record News filed this raw video from the scene:

The two medics and the two passengers in the car were all transported for minor injuries.  It won't be known until an autopsy is held whether the patient died as a result of the crash or from his bee stings.

The Wichita Falls Times Record News has the STORY.

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Indianapolis Incident

A DECATUR TOWNSHIP (Indiana) FIRE DEPARTMENT AMBULANCE was T-boned by a stop-sign runner Thursday morning and careened into an outbuilding next to a church.

Indianapolis Star

The ambulance was responding to an emergency in Indianapolis around 8:30 am and as it entered an intersection, a van traveling on the cross street crashed into the side of the ambulance.  The force of the collision caused the ambulance to go off the road and crash through the side of the metal building that is used as a garage by the church.

WTHR-TV reports:

Heather Temple, 36, was driving the van, a Dodge Caravan. She said she did not see the stop sign or hear the ambulance's siren. She was taken to the hospital in good condition. Her vehicle had front end damage and spun around before hitting a fence.

Mike Davis, 37, was driving the ambulance, with Brad Davis, 31, in the officer's seat. Both were wearing seat belts. They were able to climb out of the back of the ambulance. They were taken to the hospital to be checked out. Both are in good condition. Both firefighters have been with the department since 2005.

Nobody was in the garage at the time and that was the only propery damage to the church.

Google Street View Illustrates the Stop Sign and Building That Was Struck

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