By Emily Gurnon
The St. Paul Pioneer Press
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A 79-year-old woman died Saturday evening after she was struck by an ambulance in St. Paul.
The accident happened about 6 p.m. near the intersection of Snelling and Randolph avenues, St. Paul police said.
An ambulance from the St. Paul Fire Department had gone to the intersection because of a driver who apparently accelerated and broke through a large privacy fence near the parking lot of a Walgreens drug store, according to police spokesman Sgt. Paul Schnell.
That woman’s car then went over a retaining wall into the alley below, between Randolph and James avenues.
The ambulance was backing down the alley to reach the car when it hit the pedestrian, who may have come out to observe the accident, Schnell said.
“This is a horrible situation for the woman, obviously, for the family, for the firefighters and people who were trying to help,” Schnell said.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mayor Chris Coleman issued a written statement saying that words fail to express city officials’ sadness for the woman’s family and concern for the anguish of the paramedic crew.
“We will fully investigate the circumstances of this tragic accident, and as this day ends in grief, our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim as they go through this difficult time,” Coleman said.
The driver of the car was checked at the scene and did not require transportation to the hospital, Schnell said.
The identity of the dead woman was not immediately released.
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