EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J. – EMT Hinal Patel, 22, was completing what was supposed to be her last shift at Spotswood EMS when she was killed in an ambulance collision with a car while responding to a call.
Patel was also a member of the North Stelton Volunteer Fire Company. Chief John Scarpa released a statement about her death, saying Patel planned to attend medical school in the fall.
“Hinal was a very smart, dedicated member of our family and she will be greatly missed,” Scarpa said.
Patel and EMT Mark Seube, 24, who was driving with lights and sirens activated, were on the way to assist at a car crash in a nearby town, Lt. Kevin F. Zebro of the East Brunswick Police Department told WABC. A woman driving a Toyota Prius T-boned the ambulance around 8 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of Ryder Lane and Cranbury Road in East Brunswick, police said. The ambulance hit another car before flipping on its side.
“They came through the intersection and were struck by another vehicle, which caused their vehicle to actually spin around and then land on its passenger side and skid across the roadway,” Zebro said.
Patel was pronounced dead at the scene. Seube was transported to Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
The crash remains under investigation.
Scarpa said Patel has been a member of the North Stelton Volunteer Fire Company since April 2012. She also served as a volunteer at St. Peters University Hospital in New Brunswick for five years before becoming an EMT at North Stelton.
Patel graduated from Rutgers University in May with a Bachelor’s degree in cell biology and neuroscience. She was planning to attend master’s program at the Rutgers Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences this fall to pursue a career as a physician or a physician’s assistant.
“She had many close friends at North Stelton,” Scarpa said. “The members of the North Stelton Volunteer Fire Company are devastated by her loss and extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends and coworkers.”