PALMDALE – No one was seriously injured when a minivan carrying two young children crashed into a Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedic truck in a Palmdale intersection Thursday afternoon, authorities said.
The collision happened around 4:40 p.m. Thursday, March 26, in the intersection of 47th Street East and Avenue S, according to Deputy Shean of the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station.
“The paramedic truck was rolling a Code 3, lights and sirens, through the intersection,” Shean said, adding that the emergency vehicle was westbound on Avenue S. “The other party, which was traveling southbound on 47th, didn’t hear the lights and sirens and collided into the passenger side of the paramedic vehicle.”
“That collision caused the paramedic vehicle then to hit another vehicle that was facing eastbound in the left turn lane of Avenue S to go northbound on 47th,” Shean said. “[The paramedic truck] slightly tapped the front bumper of that other vehicle.”
No parties involved in the collision sustained major injuries, but there were complaints of pain, Shean said.
The paramedic truck was carrying two occupants, while the minivan was driven by a woman with two small children in the back seat, according to witnesses.
“The lady in the van with the two kids in the back was in, I believe, the slow lane,” said eyewitness Ted LeCouteur. “She had a line of cars so she didn’t see [the paramedic truck] as it crossed. All of her windows were up so she couldn’t hear him and she pelted into the side.”
LeCouteur said the two young children “were in full protective seats and they were fine,” and the minivan’s driver appeared to have pain in her shoulder from her seat belt.
“There were two paramedics in the paramedic vehicle. The one on the passenger side took a little bit of damage on his right-hand side, but he was up and around and trying to get out of the vehicle right away,” LeCouteur said. “That’s when I showed up and I had to rip the door open for him.”
It was unclear Thursday afternoon how many people were transported to the hospital. No further information was immediately available.
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Previous related story: Fire truck collides with car in Lancaster, 4 injured
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ed says
I have seen cops, paramedics and fire fighters wait until they get to an intersection to turn on the sirens and expect the public to stop moving right a way. …yeah ok…
Common sense 101 says
God forbid the public follow the law which says to stop and pull to the right.
ed says
we must follow the law… but dont expect people to stop abruptly at an intersection and cause an accident. they should have the sirens on, way before the intersection.
Common sense 101 says
Nowadays with such heavy emphasis on soundproofing vehicles and the idea that playing your music at incredibly loud volumes is “cool”, they can have the siren on full blast and most cars still won’t hear them.
ed says
good point….
lancaster commuter says
I have seen LASD AND LAFD run up and down in lancaster like it’s the wild wild west. Two times in the same year in the antelope valley is not acceptable. They need to be held accountable.
Common sense 101 says
Accountable? For what? How about instead of rolling lights and siren with urgency to your emergency they make sure to follow all of the posted speed limits and get there just in time to declare you dead on arrival.
John says
One doesn’t have to be the sharpest tool in the box to be a fireman.
wow says
Make sure you tell them that the next time they save your life. Dumbass.
El sancho says
That must of been superman as the witness if he “ripped open the door” glad no one was hurt.
concernedmotherof2 says
That same thing almost happened to me and my children on Tues. Except the fire truck had no siren on and ran the red light causing me to slam on my brakes to avoid an accident. I think if they are running red lights in cases of emergencies, they are still responsible for coming to a complete stop and looking out for the other drivers. Lives can be taken instead of the being saved which is supposed to be the main objective.
a valid point says
That’s why common sense driving says to scan the intersection to be sure things like this don’t happen…..
kali says
yes that is most of the ambulance or fire trucks drivers predict that everyone has seen them or that everyone will move right away and can turn out bad but than again there is some that do slow down in the intersection to make sure its safe to go.
chrlrss says
She may have not seen them but why didn’t she notice that the other cars were stopped. If it was an intersection then maybe a vehicle coming thru like this or someone still in the crosswalk. Either way she screwed up and it could have been much worse.
Mark says
LA Fire department side swiped a women on Ave I a few years ago and didn’t even stop. The fire fighter said he was going to the station to tell his captain.
If that was anyone else they would have been arrested for hit & run.
Juziahh says
shame 2nd year in a row that this has happened to this stations’ squad company
dumbandblind says
We live in the era of smart phones and stupid people.