By Greg Kozol
St. Joseph News-Press
BUCHANAN COUNTY, Mo. — A Buchanan County ambulance sustained heavy damage in an accident with a private vehicle Tuesday morning on Frederick Boulevard over the Interstate 29 overpass.
No one suffered serious injuries in the accident, which resulted in traffic delays shortly after 6 a.m. until the scene was cleared after 8 a.m.
“It’s probably totaled,” said Steve Groshong, director of operations for Buchanan County EMS. “We’re fortunate no one was hurt.”
The ambulance was partially on its side on the pedestrian walkway while the car — a Kia Optima — appeared to sustain significant front-end damage. Both vehicles were partially blocking the eastbound lanes of traffic on Frederick.
St. Joseph police said the Kia, driven by 55-year-old Lynne Pryor of Nebraska, was attempting to turn left onto the southbound I-29 ramp when it struck the eastbound ambulance, which was in service but did not have a passenger on board.
https://twitter.com/EMS_Dispatch/status/831706659349082113
The paramedic and EMT in the ambulance were able to climb out of the vehicle as it was wedged between two concrete barriers, said officer Patrick Zeamer of the St. Joseph Police Department Traffic Unit.
The ambulance, driven by Chad Fulton, was perched on two wheels at the edge of the overpass. Zeamer said it was never in danger of going over the edge. “It was wedged in there pretty good,” Zeamer said.
Groshong said the ambulance was one of 12 in the Buchanan County fleet.
Pryor was issued a citation for failure to yield at the blinking yellow turn light, police said.
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