Injured firefighters describe what happened when ambulance flipped
Two of the firefighters injured when the ambulance they were riding in flipped after being struck by a driver in a stolen car are talking about the experience. The ambulance was struck on Dec. 4 at 14th and Reed in Lakewood.
Brittney Lyman and Tom Nerone with West Metro Fire Rescue were inside the ambulance when it was struck. They had left the station only minutes before the crash.
The ambulance was returning from an emergency call and did not have a patient inside at the time.
Lyman was driving and said the driver in the stolen Jeep ran a stop sign and struck the passenger side of the ambulance.
"For both of us, it really slowed down after that point of impact when we started to spin into a 180, it was almost movielike how slow things moved flying through the cab," said Lyman. "Everything lifted. It was pretty wild to see."
Lyman suffered whiplash and Nerone suffered a split eyebrow and some swelling but they are expected to be OK.
Armando Casillas, 20, of Denver has been arrested for allegedly driving the stolen Jeep when it crashed into the ambulance. Two other people inside the Jeep were also hurt, but they were not arrested.
He faces charges that include vehicular assault, DUI and car theft.
