five recovering from ambulance-car crash on Route twenty two
David Hurst
FORBES ROAD FIRE DEPARTMENT
Five people were injured in an accident Monday, May 29, 2017, on Route twenty two in Salem Township, Westmoreland County, involving an ambulance from the John Carroll Area Ambulance Service in Carrolltown and a vehicle driven by an unidentified man.
Five people were recovering Tuesday after a two-vehicle Memorial Day accident on Route twenty two that involved a Carrolltown ambulance transporting a 7-month-old female responders said.
The infant was being transported by the John Carroll Area Ambulance Service from UPMC Altoona to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh on Route twenty two in Salem Township, Westmoreland County, when it hit a Toyota sedan in the westbound lane, Forbes Road fire Chief Bob Rosatti said.
Crews arrived to find both vehicles badly bruised, Rosatti said.
The Toyota was sideways, and T-boned by the ambulance on the highway, trapping the sedan’s motorist inwards – but the ambulance squad involved was already at work attending to the injured motorist, Rosatti said.
“The (sedan) driver was entrapped in the vehicle. But the Carrolltown team was already out there. They did a excellent job of hopping in and assisting,” Rosatti said.
The 7-month-old child was shifted to a responding ambulance for care and was taken to Children’s Hospital for treatment. The infant had a cracked femur, that was not sustained in the crash, he said.
“That was the reason they were making the journey,” Rosatti said.
Kiski Valley state police did not list the condition of the unidentified 36-year-old driver of the Toyota.
Tim Burkhart, the Carrolltown station’s manager, said the ambulance’s driver, a 19-year-old EMT, injured his forearm in the accident.
A 40-year-old paramedic who was also on board sustained minor injuries, too, but stayed at her post, attending to the ambulance’s other passengers until a local medical squad arrived, he said.
“I’m proud of the way they reacted at the scene,” Burkhart said. “Despite their injuries, they did what they do. They sprung into activity and embarked treating the patients at the scene.
“I’m proud of the way they reacted at the scene.”
Both ambulance service employees were treated and released from a Westmoreland County hospital Monday.
Burkhart said the station’s thoughts and prayers are with the families of the woman and child who were traveling in the ambulance and the injured motorist.
“This is my worst nightmare as a manager. I’ve been in the EMS business for twenty six years and I’ve never seen something like this happen,” he said.
Burkhart said he was awaiting a police report from state police in Westmoreland County for extra details on the crash but he’s been told that the ambulance was not speeding on Route twenty two at the time.
The team had a green light when the ambulance traveled into the path of a sedan, which was evidently stopped in the middle of Route 22’s westbound lane, he said.
“This was a nonemergency transport, so they were traveling at normal speeds without lights or sirens,” he said.
John Carroll Ambulance Service operates as a one-ambulance station, so officials turned to a neighboring service for help Monday to stay in operation, Burkhart said. Hastings Ambulance is lending his department one of its backup ambulances, “so we’re able to conduct business as usual,” he said.
The Carrolltown ambulance was disabled by the accident. On Tuesday, station officials were taking steps to have the vehicle towed back to their North Main Street station.
“We’re going to have an adjuster look at it. At this point, we aren’t sure if it’s fixable or not,” Burkhart said.
David Hurst is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at (814) 532-5053. Go after him on Twitter @TDDavidHurst and Instagram @TDDavidHurst.
Five recovering from ambulance-car crash on Route 22, News
five recovering from ambulance-car crash on Route twenty two
David Hurst
FORBES ROAD FIRE DEPARTMENT
Five people were injured in an accident Monday, May 29, 2017, on Route twenty two in Salem Township, Westmoreland County, involving an ambulance from the John Carroll Area Ambulance Service in Carrolltown and a vehicle driven by an unidentified man.
Five people were recovering Tuesday after a two-vehicle Memorial Day accident on Route twenty two that involved a Carrolltown ambulance transporting a 7-month-old damsel responders said.
The infant was being transported by the John Carroll Area Ambulance Service from UPMC Altoona to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh on Route twenty two in Salem Township, Westmoreland County, when it hit a Toyota sedan in the westbound lane, Forbes Road fire Chief Bob Rosatti said.
Crews arrived to find both vehicles badly bruised, Rosatti said.
The Toyota was sideways, and T-boned by the ambulance on the highway, trapping the sedan’s motorist inwards – but the ambulance squad involved was already at work attending to the injured motorist, Rosatti said.
“The (sedan) driver was entrapped in the vehicle. But the Carrolltown squad was already out there. They did a good job of hopping in and assisting,” Rosatti said.
The 7-month-old child was shifted to a responding ambulance for care and was taken to Children’s Hospital for treatment. The infant had a violated femur, that was not sustained in the crash, he said.
“That was the reason they were making the journey,” Rosatti said.
Kiski Valley state police did not list the condition of the unidentified 36-year-old driver of the Toyota.
Tim Burkhart, the Carrolltown station’s manager, said the ambulance’s driver, a 19-year-old EMT, injured his arm in the accident.
A 40-year-old paramedic who was also on board sustained minor injuries, too, but stayed at her post, attending to the ambulance’s other passengers until a local medical squad arrived, he said.
“I’m proud of the way they reacted at the scene,” Burkhart said. “Despite their injuries, they did what they do. They sprung into act and commenced treating the patients at the scene.
“I’m proud of the way they reacted at the scene.”
Both ambulance service employees were treated and released from a Westmoreland County hospital Monday.
Burkhart said the station’s thoughts and prayers are with the families of the woman and child who were traveling in the ambulance and the injured motorist.
“This is my worst nightmare as a manager. I’ve been in the EMS business for twenty six years and I’ve never seen something like this happen,” he said.
Burkhart said he was awaiting a police report from state police in Westmoreland County for extra details on the crash but he’s been told that the ambulance was not speeding on Route twenty two at the time.
The squad had a green light when the ambulance traveled into the path of a sedan, which was evidently stopped in the middle of Route 22’s westbound lane, he said.
“This was a nonemergency transport, so they were traveling at normal speeds without lights or sirens,” he said.
John Carroll Ambulance Service operates as a one-ambulance station, so officials turned to a neighboring service for help Monday to stay in operation, Burkhart said. Hastings Ambulance is lending his department one of its backup ambulances, “so we’re able to conduct business as usual,” he said.
The Carrolltown ambulance was disabled by the accident. On Tuesday, station officials were taking steps to have the vehicle towed back to their North Main Street station.
“We’re going to have an adjuster look at it. At this point, we aren’t sure if it’s fixable or not,” Burkhart said.
David Hurst is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at (814) 532-5053. Go after him on Twitter @TDDavidHurst and Instagram @TDDavidHurst.
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