Crash Reported Involving Harnett County Ambulance in Raleigh, North Carolina (NC)

RALEIGH, NC- Wral.com writes that a car and an ambulance were involved in a collision while the ambulance was transporting a patient to the hospital. The car was driving on Pecan Street, and the ambulance was on South Sanders Street approaching the intersection. The light was reportedly red for the ambulance, which was attempting to clear the intersection by using its lights and sirens. The car then struck the ambulance.* 

According to the police, the patient in the ambulance stopped breathing after the crash, but medics revived the individual who was then taken to the hospital in another ambulance. The condition of that individual is not yet known. Police charged the driver of the car for failing to yield. The man stated that he did not hear the sirens and that when he noticed the ambulance, he no longer had time to stop his vehicle. 

Every year, there are about 4,500 ambulance crashes in the United States. These wrecks kill an average of about 33 people annually. Emergency workers in the patient compartment are often not restrained. In fact, in about 84 percent of these collisions, the ambulance worker was not properly restrained. The patients were only secured using both lap and shoulder belts in 33 percent of instances. In severe crashes, patients were ejected from the cots 44 percent of the time. 

The most likely victim in a deadly crash involving an ambulance is the person in the other vehicle. In 63 percent of deadly crashes, a person in the other vehicle dies, while non-occupants such as pedestrians were killed in twelve percent of instances. Passengers in ambulances were killed in 21 percent of fatal wrecks, and the driver of the ambulance in just four percent of accidents. 

Accident News is a safety and education initiative from Montlick & Associates, designed to help people better understand and thereby avoid common accident causes.  To learn more about our injury prevention programs, including iridesafe.com - click here. We hope you are never in an accident, but if you or family member are injured, call Montlick & Associates 24/7 for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.

Sources:

https://www.wral.com/driver-cited-in-crash-with-harnett-county-ambulance/19072192/

https://www.ems.gov/pdf/EMSWorldAmbulanceCrashArticlesSept2015.pdf (Downloads to desktop)