HILLCREST – A father and son and two emergency service workers were injured yesterday morning when a Spring Hill ambulance responding to a call collided with a car on Route 45.
The driver of the four-door Buick, an 18-year-old Hillcrest man who is a volunteer firefighter for the hamlet, was critically injured, officials said. He was extricated from the car and taken by helicopter to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla.
He was taken by ambulance to Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern. He was later transferred by helicopter to Westchester Medical Center.
Last night, the younger man was listed in "very critical" condition, after suffering numerous facial fractures, a broken arm, broken femur, a broken jaw and multiple internal injuries including a collapsed lung, said Chris Kear, chief of the Hillcrest Volunteer Fire Department.
The 18-year-old slipped in and out of consciousness throughout the day, Kear said.
"He was in the operating room for about seven hours," Kear said last night. "The main goal was just to stabilize him so the doctors could work on him."
The 18-year-old will likely undergo more operations this morning, he said.
His father was listed in stable condition yesterday with minor head and internal injuries.
"He’s doing much better than earlier today," Kear said late last night.
Both of the men’s names are being withheld by police.
Two Spring Hill ambulance crew members had minor injuries. They were taken to Good Samaritan as a precaution, said Steve Kaye, captain of the Spring Hill Ambulance Corps.
The two men, both emergency medical technicians in their early 20s, one from Spring Valley and the other from West Nyack, were released from the hospital later in the afternoon.
"They’re OK, but pretty shook up," Kaye said.
Both the ambulance and the Buick were totaled.
The crash took place at 10:14 a.m. near Route 45 and Harmony Road, between Hillcrest and New Square.
Ramapo police said the ambulance was traveling south on Route 45 with its lights and sirens activated as it headed toward Spring Valley.
The driver of the Buick was also headed south on Route 45 and was attempting to turn east onto Harmony Road when the two vehicles collided.
No tickets have been issued. Police are continuing to investigate.
It was the second serious accident involving an ambulance this year. In April, two emergency medical technicians with Regional EMS, part of Rockland Paramedics, were injured when their ambulance collided with a truck that had pulled over to the side of Route 59 in West Nyack.
One of the the EMTs, Bonnie Ames, 21, who was a passenger, suffered serious injuries, including amputation of her right arm.
Investigators later determined that the 19-year-old ambulance driver, Scott Millar, took his eyes off the road to look at his GPS and thought another vehicle was entering his lane, causing him to veer to his right into the truck.
Staff writer Jenna Carlesso contributed to this report.
Reach Jane Lerner at 845-578-2458 or [email protected].
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