One Polk County Fire Rescue first responder suffered fractured ribs
A group of first responders in Florida were hospitalized after their ambulance crashed into the side of a building Friday night, police say.
The Polk County Fire Rescue ambulance was traveling in Lakeland with its sirens on when it attempted to pass other vehicles. A car in front of the ambulance was unable to yield to the right due to a concrete median on the roadway, prompting the ambulance driver to merge into in the middle lane.
As the ambulance moved into the lane, a median in the center of the road prompted its driver to quickly attempt to maneuver around it, but the vehicle's front left tire hit the structure, causing it to go out of control, the Polk County Sheriff's Office told Fox News Digital.
"After striking the center median, [the ambulance] … struck the right shoulder median with both right, front and rear tires causing [the ambulance] to be redirected towards the northbound lanes in a southeast direction of South Florida Avenue," the sheriff's office explained in a statement.
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The Polk County Fire Rescue ambulance was traveling on South Florida Avenue in Lakeland before midnight when the accident occurred. (Polk County Fire Rescue via Facebook)
The ambulance then hit the wall of Proud Gator, a closed-down sporting goods store. A witness saw the accident and corroborated the events to authorities.
"At approximately midnight on August 12, a Polk County Fire Rescue ambulance was involved in a single-vehicle accident," Polk County Fire Rescue said in a statement on Facebook. "Four members of PCFR were transported to a local medical facility."
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A map of the traffic incident provided by Polk County Sheriff's Office. (Polk County Sheriff's Office)
The driver and three passengers were all transported to Lakeland Regional Health. The driver and the first passenger were treated for unspecified minor injuries, while the second passenger was treated for a minor hand fracture and the third passenger had fractured ribs and tibia.
Fox News Digital reached out to Polk County Fire Rescue for a statement, but has not heard back.
The ambulance hit the wall of Proud Gator, a permanently-closed sporting goods store. (Google Maps)
