Tragedy
strikes!
BY TODD MAISEL
An ambulance crashed
with a fi retruck on Sept. 17
while they were both responding
to emergencies in Bedford-
Stuyvesant, leaving one patient
dead and 10 others injured.
The ambulance was transporting
a 59-year-old man suffering
from a heart attack and
his 35-year-old sister to Woodhull
Hospital when it collided
with a fi retruck at the corner
of Myrtle and Throop avenues
at 12:45 am, police said. The
FDNY unit was en route to a
nearby blaze.
The heart attack patient
died in the crash, and his sister
was critically injured, law enforcement
sources said.
Police say Ladder Company
102, stationed on Bedford Avenue,
was racing with activated
lights and sirens to a confi rmed
fi re in an occupied building at
721 Willoughby Ave. in Bedford
Stuyvesant. The truck
was traveling eastbound along
Throop Avenue when it Tboned
COURIER L 10 IFE, SEPT. 25-OCT. 1, 2020
the ambulance traveled
northbound on Myrtle Avenue,
which also had its lights and sirens
activated.
The impact caused the ambulance
to spin around, striking
a pole and an SUV. The
fi retruck then mounted the
sidewalk before braking by a
bus stop, coming within a few
feet of hitting a building, authorities
said.
Emergency crews rushed
to the scene, but could not save
the 59-year-old man who they
say died at the scene. The Medical
Examiner will determine
the cause of death.
The 35-year-old woman riding
with the patient was said
to be in critical condition at
Woodhull Hospital. Family
members had been waiting at
the hospital for the heart attack
victim and his sister at the
time of the crash, police said.
The two paramedics were
also injured, but offi cials say
their injuries do not appear
life-threatening. Six fi refi ghters
on the ladder truck were
not seriously injured.
A civilian in the SUV,
which was somewhat damaged,
received minor injuries,
offi cials said.
The incident left EMS workers
wondering what could’ve
been done to avoid the crash.
“It didn’t help there is scaffolding
on the corner blocking
the view,” said one paramedic.
“I don’t know what could’ve
been done to avoid this.”
The last major crash between
FDNY vehicles occurred
on August 11, 2019, when two
ambulances crashed into each
other in the Bronx, fl ipping
one of the vehicles onto its side.
Four emergency medical technicians
were injured in that
crash.
As for the fi re on Willoughby
Avenue, where the
fi refi ghters were headed, one
person wound up injured
in the blaze that engulfed a
top-fl oor apartment, sources
said.
Firetruck-ambulance crash
leaves patient dead, 10 injured
One man was killed and 10 others were injured after an ambulance and a fi retruck collided in Bedford-Stuyvesant
this morning. Photo by Todd Maisel
People with Medicare,
Mark Your Calendars!
Open enrollment is October 15th to December 7th, 2020.
During this period, you can sign up for
or switch your Medicare Prescription Drug Plan
and/or Medicare Advantage Plan.
All changes are effective January 1, 2021.
For more information, call Aging Connect
at 212-244-6469
and ask for “HIICAP” or “SHIP”
This project was supported by a grant from the U.S. Administration for Community Living.
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