A PATIENT FROM PLANT CITY DIED.
A Hillsborough County Fire Rescue (HCFR) ambulance in non-emergency mode, driven by a 26-year-old fire rescue male, was traveling eastbound on McGee Road. At the same time, a Peterbilt tractor trailer, driven by a 52-year-old Wesley Chapel man, was traveling northbound on SR-39. At the intersection of the
two roadways, and without yielding, the ambulance entered the path of the tractor trailer, which resulted in the vehicles crashing. Post-impact, the tractor trailer jackknifed onto the shoulder, while the ambulance overturned. The crash did not injure the Peterbilt driver. However the ambulance driver and a 47-year-old crew member aboard the ambulance suffered non-life-threatening injuries, and were transported to an area hospital for medical care. Tragically, a 64-year-old female patient aboard the ambulance suffered injuries during the collision. After being transported to an area hospital, the woman, a Plant City resident, later died.
HCFR issued the following statement:
HCFR is in the business of public and life safety. While on the job, its members are not typically on the receiving end
of rescue services. The crew members involved in the accident Friday night, and the entire HCFR family, extend their deepest sympathies to the family of the patient the crew was transporting.
Regarding the crew involved in the accident, per department policy, HCFR will begin an internal review. The driver will be placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the internal review and the law enforcement investigation.
