Central Texas Paramedic Dies in Crash
An East Texas Medical Center paramedic supervisor died Wednesday night when the ambulance he was driving slammed into the rear of a street sweeper.
(September 14, 2006)--East Texas Medical Center paramedic supervisor Joe Alvarez, Jr., 32, of Robinson died late Wednesday night when the ambulance he was driving slammed into the rear of a street sweeper on West Loop 340/Highway 6 between Waco and Imperial Drives.
Alvarez was northbound when the ambulance struck the street sweeper driven by Richard Reyes, 24, of Bellmead, who was cleaning the inside lane of the highway.
"Alvarez, for unknown reasons, drifted from the center lane into the inside lane striking the rear of the sweeper killing him instantly," police said in a prepared release.
"Witnesses to the accident told officers that it appeared that the van was traveling at a high rate of speed at the time of the accident. At this time it does not appear that Alvarez was responding to any type of call," police said.
Reyes was injured, but there was no immediate information about his condition.
Alvarez was pronounced dead at the scene.
Most of the police officers, paramedics and firefighters who responded to the accident knew the victim.
"It's hard," said Waco police officer Melvin Roseborough. "I know the guy."
"We just have to do our job as professionally as anyone else we work wrecks on," he said.
