A patient from Regional One Hospital in Memphis hijacked a Memphis Fire Department (MFD) ambulance last night, causing chaos and considerable damage, according to local emergency services.
As reported by Action News 5, the woman walked out of the hospital, took the emergency vehicle, and initiated a series of crashes. It started with a collision into a concrete wall while in reverse. Crittenden County Emergency Rescue Services noted that the woman attempted to escape by accelerating towards a wall outside the trauma Intensive Care Unit, nearly hitting an armed security guard in the process. Subsequently, she reversed rapidly and collided with Crittenden's ambulance, inflicting major damage and rendering the vehicle inoperable.
The incident was further detailed in a report by WREG, which mentioned that the woman was eventually captured in the parking lot of the Veterans Affairs facility. Her motivations and the circumstances surrounding her initial presence at the hospital have not been disclosed. Crittenden EMS expressed gratitude towards Memphis Fire, Memphis Police, and the security team at Regional One Health for their professional response to the incident.
The extraordinary nature of the incident was underscored by a Facebook post from Crittenden County EMS, which was quoted by FOX13 Memphis, "Can't make this stuff up." This is not the first instance of an ambulance theft in Memphis, as another similar event occurred in August 2023 when a man stole a Crittenden County ambulance before hitting a pedestrian and being involved in a multi-vehicle crash in East Memphis.
The exact repercussions faced by the woman responsible for the latest theft and crashes are yet to be confirmed. However, the damages to emergency vehicles are likely to have a temporary impact on the services provided by the affected rescue entities.
