On-Board Patient Dies after Ohio Ambulance Hits Jeep

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NEWS9 has learned a patient involved in an ambulance crash last week in Belmont County didn't survive.

Ohio State Highway Patrol brought in an accident reconstruction unit Tuesday to continue the investigation. It’s unclear whether charges will be filed against the ambulance driver.

There were no lights and no sirens on at the time of the crash. It was just a routine medical transport when 79-year-old Wonona Carpenter, of Quaker City, was inside an Emergency Medical Transport ambulance.

"She was being transported from a medical facility in Dover, Ohio, to a nursing home, or care center, in Barnesville, Ohio," said Sgt. Jason Greenwood, of Ohio State Highway Patrol.

It was raining on Interstate 70 in Barnesville when the crash happened. Ambulance driver, 27-year-old Rachel Bowers, of Cadiz, told troopers that caused her to crash into an oncoming Jeep.

"In her statement, she said that the ambulance she was driving had possibly hydroplaned. It was raining at the time and there were no skid marks at the scene that we could locate. She was within the speed limit. She just came around the sharp curve and drifted left of center," said Greenwood.

Several people involved had minor injuries after the crash, but two days later, Carpenter died at Ohio Valley Medical Center.

Her family members told troopers the Ohio County coroner said she died from her injuries from the crash.

"Right now, our reconstruction unit is looking at the vehicles, analyzing the damage to the vehicles and we're waiting for the medical examiner from Ohio County to give us the official cause of death to the victim," said Greenwood.

"Due to HIPAA laws, we can not comment on [Carpenter's] medical condition prior to the accident, but we can not be sure at this point what contributed to her death. In any case, our hearts go out to the family," said Ken Joseph of EMT.

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