North Carolina Responders Injured in Ambulance Rollover

"One had a concussion, one tore some stuff in his shoulder, and all three had cuts and bruises," said Boiling Springs Rescue Squad Chief Shawn Neighbors.

He said they were released from Cleveland Regional Medical Center after a few hours, but the heart attack victim that they were on their way to see died.

"They had been on a call on Padgett Road where the patient refused treatment when they got the call about a cardiac arrest back in Boiling Springs," Neighbors said. "It looks like one wheel went off on the soft shoulder causing them to lose control. The ambulance appears to be a total loss."

N.C. Highway Patrol Trooper J.R. Crotts was at the scene and said he didn't yet know how fast the ambulance was going on the road that has a posted speed limit of 55 mph. He said no other cars were involved in the accident, and the weather was clear.

"The ambulance was on its roof with its wheels in the air," Crotts said. "It looks like it lost control, struck a ditch and overturned while running emergency traffic."

Crotts said the man driving wasn't wearing his seat belt. The woman in the passenger seat was also not wearing her seat belt, and she was ejected from the ambulance. She was the one with a concussion, Neighbors said.

"That's one thing to learn from this -- we're all going to start wearing our seat belts," Neighbors said.

He said one of the squad members would probably return to work within a week, but he doesn't know when the other two would return. Neighbors said the squad of around 20 people had four ambulances, and now they have three.

"To replace an ambulance, we're probably looking at $110,000 or $115,000," Neighbors said. "I'm waiting to see how much the insurance will pay, and then we'll have a better idea of when we'll be able to buy a new one."

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