A 75-year-old patient died Monday evening after the Delaware County ambulance carrying him collided with a Nissan Altima in West Philadelphia, and the driver of that car was also hospitalized. The crash happened just after 6 p.m. at the intersection of 63rd and Race Streets, setting off an investigation that remained open as of Monday night.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the patient was rushed to Lankenau Medical Center after the crash but was pronounced dead there at 6:15 p.m. The Nissan's driver was also taken to a hospital for treatment, though that person's condition was not immediately available, per the same report.
Philadelphia police responded to the scene at 63rd and Race Streets after a crash report came in a little after 6 p.m., according to PHL17, which described the collision as a two-car crash involving the medic unit and the Nissan Altima. The outlet reported one death and one injury in connection with the wreck.
Accounts Differ on How Many Vehicles Were Involved
Not every outlet has described the crash the same way. NBC10 Philadelphia characterized it as a multi-car crash and reported that at least two other cars suffered front-end damage at the scene. PHL17's report, by contrast, described only the medic unit and the Nissan Altima as involved. The discrepancy has not been resolved, and police have not detailed a cause for the crash.
The ambulance was being transported by Delaware County medics, per police, when it crashed carrying the 75-year-old patient. Investigators have not said what led up to the collision, and the cause remains under investigation, according to the Inquirer's reporting.
Not the First Fatal Ambulance Crash in the City This Year
Monday's crash is the second fatal ambulance-involved collision reported in Philadelphia this year. In March, an infant died and the child's mother was hospitalized after an ambulance driven by a family member crashed in the city's Frankford section, according to EMS1. In that earlier case, police said the ambulance went through a red light and struck a Honda Accord that had a green light at the intersection.
No such cause has been established in Monday's West Philadelphia crash, and police have not said whether anyone will face charges. The investigation into what happened at 63rd and Race Streets continues.
