The chief of paramedic services is proud of actions taken by a paramedic involved in Monday night's collision who helped two people in a car.
At around 6 p.m. on Monday, the paramedic was driving an ambulance from the Sault North base in Goulais River to the main base on Old Garden River Road when it collided with a car on Great Northern Road near Fifth Line.
“We’re not entirely sure what happened. Police are investigating,” said Chief Kate Kirkham with paramedic services.
She confirmed the lights and siren were not on at the time of the accident since the paramedic was not heading to or from an emergency.
“We do know the ambulance was travelling south as the paramedic neared their end of shift.
“The collision involved another vehicle travelling north. There was only one paramedic in the ambulance at the time of the accident,” Kirkham said.
After the collision, the paramedic called for another ambulance through the dispatch centre, and then assessed and provided care to the driver and passenger until other first responders arrived on scene.
“We are very proud of this paramedic for demonstrating exceptional professionalism by providing care to those in need, even while being directly involved in the accident,” she said.
The driver of the ambulance was transported to hospital with minor injuries. The passenger of the other vehicle was transported to hospital with serious injuries.
“We are also grateful for the first responders and bystanders who stepped up to assist when we needed them most. It shows the great compassion and teamwork we have here in Sault Ste. Marie,” said Kirkham, who couldn’t say yet if the ambulance can be repaired.
“It is being assessed, and we expect to have an answer on this in the near future. It is significantly damaged and is not operational at this time.”
Kirkham said the collision will not impact their ability to respond to emergencies in the community.
“We have contingency plans in place for collisions and mechanical issues. Our fleet includes spare ambulances to maintain response capacity.”
Police confirmed Monday night's collision remains under investigation.