Two Portage medics complained of pain after the ambulance they were riding in was struck by a sport utility vehicle Wednesday afternoon that was driving too fast for snow-covered roads, according to police.
The two medics, and another two medics who also were in the ambulance, were transported to the hospital for evaluation. The ambulance was returning to the fire station at the time and no patients were inside, according to a release from Portage Police.
The SUV driver, a 36-year-old man from Hobart, was not wearing a seatbelt, police said, and he suffered a serious head injury, though he is expected to survive.
Officers responded around 2:43 p.m. Feb. 12 to the area of the Willowcreek Bypass south of Chrisman Road for a report of a collision involving a Portage Fire Department ambulance, police said.
Initial reports indicate that a white 2013 Chevrolet Equinox was southbound over the Willowcreek Bypass at an unsafe speed for the roads, police said.
“The combination of excessive speed and snow-covered roads caused the driver of the SUV to lose control and cross the center line into the northbound lanes,” police said.
The SUV sideswiped a northbound delivery truck before striking the ambulance, which was northbound in the outside lane, head-on.
The driver of the SUV was thrown from the driver’s seat into the passenger side of his vehicle during the collision, police said, and suffered a serious head injury that rendered him unconscious.
Several medical helicopters were requested but could not fly because of the weather conditions. The driver of the SUV was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital.
The Chevrolet Equinox and the ambulance were both towed from the scene due to disabling damage. The Willowcreek Bypass was closed to all traffic for approximately an hour and a half before being reopened.
The Portage Street Department assisted in setting up barricades to keep traffic out of the area during the investigation.
