Pennsylvania Paramedics Hurt in Ambulance/Truck Crash

Two Allentown paramedics became hospital patients themselves when their ambulance was struck by a truck in west Bethlehem late Monday, authorities said.

Allentown paramedics Robert Norder and Terry Golden were transporting a patient to St. Luke's Hospital-Fountain Hill when a truck driven by William Kanavel, 46, of 1741 W. Broad St., Bethlehem, collided with them at Broad Street and Eighth Avenue, authorities said.

The female patient was not additionally injured and was taken by another ambulance to St. Luke's, but the paramedics suffered minor injuries and had to be transported to Sacred Heart Hospital, said Joe Hanna, assistant police chief in Allentown.

According to Bethlehem Detective Mark DiLuzio, the crash happened at 11:44 p.m. and the ambulance crew said they saw a Chevy truck and a Jeep involved in a chase before the pickup truck crashed into them.

DiLuzio said that Kanavel told police he was in the parking lot of a gas station at Eighth Avenue and Broad Street when Robert Jones of Allentown backed into him and knocked him to the ground. He told police he got into his truck and chased Jones, however Jones gave a different story.

As police were talking to Kanavel, Jones called police from the 7-Eleven at 14th Avenue and Broad Street to report an assault, DiLuzio said. Jones said he was at the gas station at Eighth Avenue and Broad Street and was putting air in his tires when Kanavel approached his Jeep, threatened him and jabbed him with a serrated knife, DiLuzio said. Jones got into his Jeep and left and Kanavel pursued him, he said.

DiLuzio said Jones and Kanavel know each other and have an ongoing dispute.

After a witness verified Jones' story, Kanavel was charged with simple assault, harassment, reckless driving, reckless endangerment and filing false reports with police. He will receive a summons by mail.