Car accident involving ambulance in New York turns fatal

A tragic wreck has claimed the life of two people on Southern State Parkway, according to local sources. New York police have confirmed that the driver of an ambulance as well as his passenger were killed in the car accident. Another individual was injured in the crash as well. An investigation is still underway into the cause of the crash. 

According to the accident report, a privately-owned EMS vehicle was traveling east when, for reasons unknown, the driver veered off the road around noon on April 20. The vehicle then smashed into a brick wall near Exit 18. Both the driver and his patient were killed in the crash. 

An EMT who was in the back with the passenger was taken to a local hospital for treatment of a concussion and a broken leg. Apparently, the EMS vehicle did not have its lights or sirens on at the time of the accident. Police are still trying to determine what caused the crash, and their investigation is ongoing. 

If police can ascertain the cause of the car accident and attribute it to the driver, the injured EMT and the family of the deceased patient may be entitled to pursue justice beyond a criminal conviction. Obviously, criminal charges are not filed against the deceased, but New York law would allow the family of the deceased and the injured EMT to file a wrongful death and/or personal injury suit against the man’s estate. These cases are handled in civil court but still rely on police evidence to support the claim that the driver was at fault for the fatal accident. 

Source: New York Post, “Ambulance slams into overpass, killing driver and patient“, Gabrielle Fonrouge and Chris Perez, April 20, 2016