GA Ambulance Crash Kills Three
A Georgia ambulance crash has killed three people. Two EMTs and a patient were killed when the ambulance collided with a semi truck.
The Georgia State Patrol has confirmed that the collision occurred on Thursday morning around 5 am on state Highway 32. Witnesses have confirmed that the ambulance was traveling at a high rate of speed with lights and sirens activated.
As reported by My Fox 8, the semi truck jack-knifed, blocking the road. The ambulance driver was unable to stop or slow the vehicle before it slammed into the side of the semi.
The Georgia ambulance crash killed three people. EMTs Teresa Ann Davis, age 44, and Randall Whiddon, age 56, were both killed in the impact. Davis was driving, with Whiddon riding in the passenger seat.
Also killed was Charles Arvin Smith, who was the patient being transported to the hospital. The impact was so severe that Smith was reportedly thrown from the vehicle. The driver of the semi, Rockwell Lott, survived the crash.
As reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Georgia State Patrol’s Specialized Crash Reconstruction Team is investigating the scene. The have collected evidence, including witness statements, in an effort to determine if anyone will be cited for the crash.
Unfortunately, accidents involving ambulances, and other emergency vehicles, are not uncommon.
In 2010 alone there were at least 250 ambulance crashes. In a report complied by EMSWorld.com, it is revealed that at least four crew members and nine civilians were killed as a result.
Nearly half of the accidents were reported in intersections. As emergency vehicles are expected to drive through red lights, it is up to other drivers to stop. Many times an ambulance is simply not heard or seen until it is too late. Passenger vehicles that fail to stop account for the majority of intersection accidents.
A Georgia ambulance crash has killed three, but the exact circumstances are still unknown. As the truck was jack-knifed, he may not have had the option of moving out of the way fast enough to avoid the tragedy.
[Image via Flickr]
