Van Crashes Into An Ambulance, Then Other Vehicles, Traffic Pole In Palatine
CHICAGO (CBS) – A serious crash involving an ambulance happened Thursday afternoon in the northwest suburbs.
Chopper 2 was over the scene a short time ago. Video shows the ambulance flipped on its side. CBS 2's Lauren Victory has the latest from Palatine.
The crash happened as paramedics were on their way to a call. It caused backups on Rohwling Road and Glencoe Street, which is now back open.
Traffic is still an issue on Palatine Road because the accident also took out a traffic pole.
Tow trucks pulled the wreckage away just after 4 p.m. The front of the emergency vehicle was heavily damaged.
Chopper 2 shows the immediate aftermath of the crash around 2 p.m. Police laid out a bit of a domino effect.
Investigators said a white van hit the paramedics as they were crossing the intersection at Rowling and Palatine. The impact was so hard that the ambulance landed on its side and the van spun out and hit a traffic pole. The pole and van also struck two other vehicles.
The cleanup took over 2 hours. Moving the lopsided ambulance was not easy, according to witnesses.
"They had problems getting it moving because the back tires were skidding on the road. It was pretty scary when I first got there," said Shyanne Bergloff, witness.
First responders rushed three people, including two of their own to the hospital. Luckily, police said all of those injured appear to have non-life-threatening injuries.