Ambulance Transporting Patient Gets Swept Away In Flood
MORGAN COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - An ambulance carrying a patient with four others on board got swept away by water while driving to meet another ambulance in Morgan County early Sunday morning.
According to Travis Bailey with the Wiggins Fire Department, at approximately 4:30 a.m. the Byers Fire ambulance was driving to meet a Morgan County ambulance to transport a patient to Colorado Plains Medical Center in Fort Morgan.
"It tried to cross the intersection of Morgan County roads 4 and D. There was water flowing over the roads. The ambulance was swept away off the road and against a power pole," Bailey said in a statement.
The ambulance traveled about 100 yards down Antelope Creek, which is normally dry. It then turned 180 degrees before getting stuck on the creek bank.
Bailey said everyone on board the ambulance was able to get out safely and nobody was injured. The group, including the patient, had to cross 6 or 7 feet of water to reach dry ground, and then walked a mile north to reach responders.
According to Karen Williams with the Byers Fire Department, along with the patient the others on board were a family member and three firefighters. She said the driver could see the road as he ventured into the water and "wouldn't have driven into it if he couldn't see it."
"They knew water coming in was going to be an issue," Williams said.
She said because of that the driver and family member rolled down their windows and crawled out the windows. The three in the back opened up the doors and made it out with a little help from the first two.
"Responders had difficulty finding a safe route to the scene since many of the county roads are covered with water," Bailey said.
The patient made it safely to the Colorado Plains Medical Center.
The ambulance remains stuck in approximately 7 to 8 feet of water. Bailey said it will be a couple days before it can be retrieved.