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Ambulance stolen while medics try to save crash victim

The vehicle was found three hours later with no damage

By Tim O’Neil
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

ST. LOUIS — An ambulance idling outside the emergency department at Barnes-Jewish Hospital was stolen early Monday while medical personnel tried to save the paramedics’ critically injured patient.

The full-size ambulance, owned by MedStar of Belleville, was used to transport the patient from a one-car accident that occured about 1:50 a.m. on Illinois Route 3 in Fairmont City. Kristen M. Treat, 31, of St. Louis, was pronounced dead in the emergency room.

While paramedics were still inside the hospital, someone jumped into the ambulance shortly before 3 a.m. and drove away. The paramedics hadn’t set a lock that secures the ambulance while it is idling. “The patient was in such critical condition they wanted to get her into the hospital quickly,” said Tim Brown, Medstar operations manager.

Full story: Ambulance stolen from St. Louis hospital while medical personnel try to save crash victim