Ambulance Pushed On Its Side In Crash
An accident involving an ambulance and an SUV in Central Baytown on Thursday morning has left two first responders injured.
According to a story recently appearing on the Houston Chronicle website, a spokesperson with the Baytown Police department indicated that the accident happened at approximately 9:00 .a.m. when the driver of a Cadillac Escalade SUV struck the ambulance at the intersection of North Main and Defee.
The force of impact of the SUV hitting the ambulance was great enough to send the emergency vehicle onto its side.
According to the Baytown Fire Department’s assistant fire chief, Dana Dalbey, who is in charge of emergency services, the ambulance was carrying four people; two paramedics in the cab of the rig and two in the rear. The riders in the rear included a student and a dispatcher who were on a ride-along at the time of the crash. The dispatcher and student in the rear of the rig both suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries. Both were flown by air ambulance to Memorial Hermann Hospital’s trauma center in Houston.
The occupants of the Escalade included a mother and her three children. No one in the SUV was seriously injured but were taken to an area hospital as a precaution, said Dalby. .
According to Lt. Steve Dorris of the Baytown Police Department, the cause of the crash is currently under investigation. Authorities do not suspect intoxicated driving as being a factor. There were no traffic cameras in the area to help investigators determine the cause of the crash.
Accidents involving ambulances or other emergency vehicle occur more often than many people realize. According to a report that was released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in April of 2014, an estimated 2,600 people are injured and in accidents involving an accident each year. In that number, it is estimated that 33 people on average lose their lives. The greatest number of fatalities and injuries come from those who were in the other vehicle.
If you or a loved one lives in the Houston area and has been seriously injured by an accident involving an emergency vehicle such as an ambulance, police cruiser or fire truck, give our offices a call.
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