Ambulance Association Director Jerry Schwab said a crash Sunday involving an ambulance was triggered by an icy road — not by the speed of the ambulance.
The ambulance was responding to a one-car crash Sunday at about 11 a.m. when driver Jason Scott Schwartz, 22, lost control on Great Hill Road.
The ambulance crashed into the passenger’s side front tire of a 1999 Ford Ranger being driven by Peter Kross, of Seymour.
No injuries were reported immediately after the crash, but Kross said later he experienced pain in his upper arm and went to Griffin Hospital to get checked out.
A police summary Monday did not list enforcement action against either driver — but did note road conditions were poor.
After responding to crashes, police officers have the discresion to take — or to not take — enforcement action. The enforcement in winter-weather related crashes can range from a verbal warning for traveling too fast for conditions to a ticket for failing to stay in the proper lane.
On Monday, Oxford resident state Trooper Sgt. Dan Semosky said the ambulance crash was still under investigation. He wasn’t available for comment Tuesday.
Schwab said the crash highlights the danger emergency crews face while responding to calls.
Schwab said the accident could have happened to anyone based on the snowy weather.
“Unfortunately these things happen to regular vehicles and emergency vehicles in bad weather,” he said. “It could have been any one of us.”
Schwab, who responded to the accident scene, said the three-person ambulance crew and Kross were evaluated at the scene. All four men declined medical treatment.
Schwab said his ambulance driver tried to overcompensate after the ambulance hit a patch of ice.
“He (Schwartz) was not issued a ticket,” Schwab pointed out.
The Other Call
The ambulance in Sunday’s crash was responding to a one-car crash on Peach Farm Road.
In that incident, Elizabeth Seyler, 48, of Shelton, lost control of a 1994 Chevy Astro van and drove off the road and into a tree.
Click here to see photos from that accident.
A second ambulance from Oxford responded to that call.
The fire department had to use tools to cut Seyler out of the vehicle. She was taken to Griffin Hospital for leg and back pain, according to the police summary.
Unlike the ambulance crash, immediate enforcement action was taken in Seyler’s case — she was issued an infraction for operating a vehicle with unsafe tires.
