Lorain, OH : One dead in ambulance crash in Vermilion on Wednesday, 14th March 2018

One person died in a March 15 crash involving an ambulance that slid into a ravine on Liberty Avenue east of Sunnyside Road in Vermilion, according to the Ohio Highway Patrol.

David McNeil, 76, of Vermilion, was pronounced dead at the scene. McNeil was a patient with an unknown medical condition who was being transported to Lorain’s MercyHealth Hospital, the OHP said.

A 49-year-old female EMT of Collins, Ohio, who was attending to the patient, was transported with serious, but non-life threatening injuries and was flown by medical helicopter to the University of Toledo Medical Center, the OHP said.

The 26-year-old male driver of the ambulance was suffering from an unknown medical condition and was transported MercyHealth, according to the OHP

Troopers were called to the scene at 12:41 p.m. after the ambulance was witnessed driving erratically before sliding into the ravine, according to the OHP.

The crash appears to have been caused by the driver suffering an unknown medical condition while operating the ambulance, the OHP stated.

U.S. Route 6 was closed for several hours just west of Baumhart Road while responders removed the ambulance from the ravine. The Vermilion Police Department announced the road had been reopened at 5:17 p.m.

Highway Patrol Lt. Brett Gockstetter said the family of the deceased patient was traveling directly behind the ambulance when it veered off the right side of road and over the guardrail into the ravine and overturned.

“It’s very devastating,” Gockstetter said. “Obviously, it could have been worse, but there was two other people in there.

“There was a family traveling behind them who unfortunately had to witness this. You can imagine seeing something like that.”

The crash remains under investigation.

“Obviously we’re going to look into all aspects of that,” Gockstetter said.

Witnesses reported to investigators the ambulance was driving erratically for about two miles starting from near the 4700 block of Liberty Avenue to the intersection with Helen Drive.

Gockstetter said the patient and the nurse did not appear to be restrained in the ambulance, but no one was ejected from the vehicle.

Source :
One dead in ambulance crash in Vermilion