A tragic sequence unfolded on the I-10 in Pinal County, where a man trying to lend aid at the site of an ambulance crash was killed following a secondary collision. According to details from the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS), the incident began when an eastbound American Medical Response ambulance careened out of control – the driver possibly having fallen asleep – and rolled to a stop on its wheels between the number two lane and right shoulder, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix.
Two Good Samaritans, driving separately, halted to assist the ambulance crew, as the ambulance already lay in distress after it had traveled back and forth across the lanes before its harsh tumble, ABC15 reports indicated the crash occurred near mile marker 185 and that no patients were in the ambulance at the time of the accident, a vehicle collided with both the ambulance and the Good Samaritans who were trying to help, which led to the closure of I-10 at Casa Blanca Road for a grueling seven hours as emergency responders managed the scene.
The male Samaritan was pronounced dead where he fell, and DPS officials have yet to disclose his identity, meanwhile, the injured female Samaritan was whisked to a local hospital with injuries yet to be outlined by authorities, as mentioned in a statement to ABC15. Both AMR employees in the ambulance also sustained injuries; the driver suffered minor harm, whereas the female passenger was left in critical condition.
In the wake of this multi-layered calamity, highway officials had warned motorists of extended delays, and DPS’s Vehicular Crimes Unit is spearheading an intensive probe into the chain of events that led a routine response call to spiral into a deadly tableau. AMR, meanwhile, issued a statement confirming their cooperation with the ongoing investigation and expressing their condolences to all affected by the tragedy.
