CHILLICOTHE, Ohio – A medical transport vehicle that crashed into a truck carrying lumber on Wednesday had a number of issues, 10TV’s Kevin Landers reported Thursday.
The driver of the medical vehicle, identified as Cody King, and passenger Barbara McWhorter, 72, who was bound to a wheelchair, were killed when the medical transport vehicle crashed into a lumber truck along Hospital Drive at about 10 a.m.
Investigators said that the two vehicles crashed while the truck that was carrying lumber turned left. According to investigators, King, 21, failed to brake when approaching the truck.
The back end of the truck crashed through the medical vehicle’s windshield, killing King, Landers reported.
According to the Ohio Medical Transportation Board, which certifies and licenses emergency vehicles, the ambulette had expired tags. State records showed the license plate expired on Feb. 20.
Life Ambulance., the owner of the ambulette, said that the tags were valid, but the sticker was placed on an older plate and was a “maintenance error.”
The spokesman said that the van, which was 13 years old and had 342,555 miles, had valid registration.
According to the ambulette’s most recent inspection record from last November, the emergency brake did not work.
A spokesman said that the brake would have had to be fixed to pass an inspection, which the van did pass, Landers reported.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol said that it was still investigating the double-fatal crash and was going to test whether the van’s brakes and the lumber truck’s turn signals worked at the time of the crash.
“The carter truck was stopped to make a left turn onto Delano Road, and the life ambulance failed to keep assured clear distance and struck the flat bed truck in the rear,” Ohio State Highway Patrol Sgt. Kari Riebesel said.
Family and friends said that driving the medical transport vehicle was King’s first fulltime job.
“He’s a good driver,” friend Eve Harper said. “He even lectures his mom to go slow and to watch out for deer.”
Family members said that King’s dream was to become a volunteer firefighter, Landers reported.
The driver of the truck, identified as Carl Dearth, was taken to a hospital and released.
