VIRGINIA BEACH — An ambulance responding to an emergency was hit as it went through an intersection in Virginia Beach.
It happened around 10:45 a.m. Thursday at Lynnhaven Parkway and Rosemont Road.
Witness Pat Coffren couldn’t believe her eyes.
"Hear sirens, saw lights flashing, he was coming through and I said ‘Gosh, he’s going to hit that rescue squad.’ And sure enough, bang! He just hit him right on," said Coffren.
The attendant sitting in the passenger side of the ambulance was hurt and had to be taken to the hospital. He is expected to survive. The driver wasn’t hurt.
A van broadsided the Kempsville Volunteer Rescue vehicle as it was going on an overdose call, said Chief Bruce Nedelka. He said another squad was sent to the patient.
The driver of the van is charged with failure to yield to an emergency vehicle.
Nedelka said intersections are the most dangerous for emergency crews and he’s glad that no one was killed.
"Make way, may room, because we need to be able to get to the emergencies we’ve been called to," said Nedelka.
The chief said you never know, they could be responding to someone you know who’s waiting to be rescued.
