Moose meat divided among crews after collision with Minn. ambulance

The Ely Area Ambulance was transporting a patient to Duluth when it hit a cow moose on Hwy. 169

April 29, 2026 08:40 AM

By Christa Lawler
Star Tribune

DULUTH, Minn. – An ambulance transporting a patient from the Iron Range to Duluth crashed into a cow moose early Monday, April 27, near Ely, killing the animal and sending the ambulance into the ditch.

There were no serious injuries to those in the rig, which included two members of the Ely Area Ambulance Service crew, who were checked out and released from a local hospital, and the patient, who continued on to Duluth on Tuesday.

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According to Dustin Moravitz, executive director of the Ely Area Ambulance Service, the ambulance was on Hwy. 169 about 4 miles west of Ely when the driver saw the moose standing in the westbound lane. The driver braked, then hit the moose while traveling at about 45 miles per hour. The animal hit the windshield, the ambulance’s airbag went off, and the rig crashed into the ditch — but remained upright.

The ambulance, one of three in the crew’s fleet, is no longer usable, according to Moravitz. He said he is expecting to get a loaner soon.

After getting a permit, the moose meat was divided up among the emergency personnel at the scene — which included Ely Area Ambulance, Morse Fall Lake Fire and First Responders, Ely Police Department, St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department and the Minnesota State Patrol.

The unusable meat was taken to the International Wolf Center in Ely.

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