Big Stone Gap,VA : Locals hurt, one killed in N.C. crash on February, Sunday 11th 2018

An Appalachia firefighter was injured in a Sunday accident that led to the death of a child from Wise and injuries to two other Wise residents.

Fire department Lt. Rick Ratliff, who works for Lifecare Ambulance, and Lifecare emergency medical technician Josh Church, of Wise, were in North Carolina, transporting a local patient to Wake Forest Baptist Center in Winston-Salem.


Around 1:15 a.m. Sunday, the ambulance, driven by Church, was struck by an allegedly drunk driver, causing it to flip. The patient, a toddler, died from injuries sustained in the crash. The patient’s mother also was injured.

According to police, both the ambulance and a Honda Accord were driving southbound on U.S. 52 when the Accord struck the left side of the ambulance. The driver, Jose Martin Duran Romero, and passenger Andres Figueroa Leon ran from the scene but were quickly apprehended.

Romero was charged with driving while impaired, driving with no operator’s license and failure to reduce speed. He is being held in the Forsyth County Jail with no bond.

Fire department Deputy Chief Travis Anderson stated that Ratliff and Church are “a little beaten and sore but doing well.”

The family of the patient has asked for the media to respect their privacy.

Source :
Locals hurt, one killed in N.C. crash