FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – Florence County officials say three people were sent to the hospital after a car crash involving an ambulance Wednesday morning.
Florence County Emergency Management Services Director Sgt. Billy Hatchell says an ambulance that was responding to an emergency call for help was involved in a crash around 8 a.m. at the intersection of North Cashua Drive and West Lucas Street in Florence.
Hatchell says two Florence County EMS employees were inside the ambulance at the time of the crash, but no patients were being transported. Three cars total, including the ambulance, were involved with three people being transported by ambulance to the hospital. A fourth victim refused treatment or to be taken to the hospital.
Lt. Mike Brandt with Florence police says the ambulance was headed north to a call on Cashua Drive and crossed the intersection during a red light with the lights and sirens on. A car on West Lucas Street had the green light and hit the ambulance as it crossed the intersection, causing the ambulance to hit another car and flip over.
The driver of the ambulance was cited for failure to yield, according to Lt. Brandt.
“Public safety vehicles can disregard certain traffic laws when responding to calls as long as they exercise due regard for the public safety,” explains Lt. Brandt. “The lights and sirens are a way that they ‘request right of way’ in situations when they’re responding to calls, but if there isn’t that due regard to public safety, they can still be cited for failure to yield.”
The driver of the car that hit the ambulance was cited for not having a license and a passenger was cited for allowing an unauthorized driver to drive, according to police.
The three victims have non-life-threatening injuries, according to Hatchell, but the extent of their injuries was not revealed.
The accident is currently under investigation by the Florence Police Department.
