Research notes on fatal ambulance accidents in North Carolina. Most involve collisions with other vehicles. Sources include newspapers.com, Digital North Carolina Newspapers, the Fayetteville Observer archives via News Bank, and numerous Google searches. 

See source documents in this Google Drive.

2020 to 2024 

February 13, 2024 – Cumberland County
Cape Fear Valley Medical Center ambulance collided with a Dodge Dakota pick-up truck on Butler Nursery Road near Nash Road just about 10:30 p.m. The ambulance was operating its emergency lights and travelling eastbound. It had slowed to make a left turn into residential driveway when the driver of the truck attempted to pass the emergency unit. The resulting collision caused the truck to leave the roadway and strike a tree. The 42 year-old female driver of the truck died at the hospital early the next morning. The two EMS members aboard the ambulance were not seriously injured. Two others riding in the truck sustained non-life threatening injuries. Investigators estimated that the truck was travelling 70 mph in a 45 mph zone. The accident happened less than two miles from the driver’s home. Source: Fayetteville Observer, 2/17/24; WRAL, 2/24/24.

August 3, 2023 – Pender County – Two Killed
Pender EMS & Fire ambulance collided with a 2010 Ford Edge SUV on US 117 near St. Helena around 2:00 p.m. The SUV crossed the center line and struck the ambulance head-on. Three other vehicles were also involved in the crash. The ambulance was transporting a 54 year-old female from Jacksonville to Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington. The transported patient died at the scene. The driver of the SUV was hospitalized and died of her injuries on August 12. She had been charged with driving while impaired, and other drivers had reported her erratic driving just before the collision. The two EMS crew members were seriously injured. Source: Carolina Coast Online, 8/6/23; WWAY, 8/14/23.

April 25, 2023 – Johnston County
MedEx medical transport ambulance collided with a motorcycle on Barbour Road near Wilson’s Mills Road just before 4:52 p.m. The motorcycle crossed the centerline into the path of the emergency vehicle. The 35 year-old male motorcyclist was ejected and died from his injuries. Source: Johnston County Report, 4/26/23; WCNC, 4/26/23.

June 19, 2022 – Duplin County – Patient Killed After Exiting Ambulance
Womack Army Medical Center [correct?] ambulance was carrying a solider from Fort Bragg, who had become ill during a training exercise, and had been diverted from Womack to the Naval Hospital at Camp Lejeune, due to limited beds at Womack. There were two EMTs in the ambulance along with an Army Sergeant escorting the patient. The ambulance was traveling eastbound on I-40 near Warsaw. There was a struggle that started inside the back of the ambulance. The ambulance pulled onto the shoulder of the interstate and came to a stop. The 28-year old male patient jumped out the back door of the ambulance, ran toward US 117, and was struck by an oncoming vehicle on US 117, and died at the scene. He was pronounced dead at 3:47 a.m. Investigators believed that the patient’s exit from the ambulance was related to his medical condition. Source: News12, 6/23/22; WRAL, 6/23/22.

January 22, 2022 – Wake County – Cardiac Patient Died After Collision, During Transport By Second Ambulance
METZ medical transport ambulance crashed on Interstate 87 near Exit 13 near Knightdale Boulevard around 4:00 a.m. The ambulance hit a patch of black ice, left the roadway, and overturned down an embankment. It was transporting a cardiac patient to Duke University. The patient went into cardiac arrest while being transported from the crash site by a second ambulance and died at the hospital. The two ambulance workers were also hurt. Source: JEMS, 1/21/22.

August 13, 2021 – Hertford County – Two Killed
Hertford County EMS ambulance collided with a 2010 Honda passenger car at the intersection of US 13 and old NC 11 at about 10:45 p.m. The ambulance was travelling on US 13 and responding to an emergency call with lights and siren activated. The car was travelled east on old NC 11, and making a left-hand turn onto US 13 north when it was struck by the emergency vehicle. The ambulance overturned into a ditch. Three people were in the car. Two of the occupants, females ages 28 and 29, later died of their injuries. One had been ejected, the other pinned in the vehicle. The third occupant, also pinned, suffered critical injuries. Both EMS workers were treated and released from the hospital. Source: WITN, 8/14/21; Firehouse, 8/17/21.

June 30, 2021 – Henderson County
Henderson County Rescue Squad ambulance collided with a car at the intersection of South Allen and Upward roads around 8:24 p.m. The car was reportedly travelling at a high rate of speed when the driver lost control of their vehicle and collided with the ambulance. The driver, a 28-year-old male, was ejected from the car and died at the scene. The two squad members in the ambulance were seriously injured. Source: WLOS, 7/1/21.

July 27, 2020 – Asheboro
Piedmont Triad Ambulance & Rescue ambulance collided with a 1986 Toyota pickup truck at the intersection of NC 49 and Oak Hollow Drive around 1:30 p.m. The truck driver turned onto NC 49 and collided with the oncoming ambulance. The 2010 Chevrolet ambulance was transporting a patient to Randolph Hospital and was traveling southbound. The collision caused the pick-up truck to catch fire. The truck’s driver died at the scene. Neither the two ambulance workers nor the patient were injured. Source: FOX8, 7/28/20.

May 30, 2020 – Cleveland County
Cleveland County EMS ambulance collided with a Honda Accord at the intersection of Hamrick Street and US 74 on a Saturday morning. The ambulance was stationary on Hamrick Road, waiting at the light. The car was travelling eastbound on US 74 when the driver lost control, cross the median, became airborne, and struck the ambulance. The car overturned after the collision. The 21 year-old male driver died. The two EMS workers were transported with minor injuries. Source: The Shelby Star, 5/30/20. 

2010 to 2019

April 23, 2018 – Smithfield – Pedestrian Struck
Johnston County EMS ambulance struck a pedestrian on East Market Street. The 65 year-old male was walking across the driveway entrance at a bank at 410 E. Market Street. The ambulance was leaving the parking lot, and attempting a right turn on to the street. The driver later told officials that the man was walking so close to the front of the ambulance that she didn’t see him. It drove forward and struck him. He was transported to Wake Medical Center in Raleigh. He died on June 3 at Moses H. Cone Hospital in Greensboro, his death from complications from his injuries. The ambulance was not on a call and three EMS workers were aboard. Source: Johnston County Report, 6/29/18. 

February 11, 2018 – Winston-Salem
LifeCare Medical Transports ambulance from Virginia collided with a 2003 Honda Accord on US 52 near Liberty Street about 1:15 a.m. Both vehicles were traveling south at the time of the crash. The car struck the left side of the ambulance, causing both drivers to lose control. The car ran off the road. The ambulance rolled over onto its side. It was transporting a three year-old boy to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. The child suffered serious injuries and died at the hospital the next day. The driver of the car was intoxicated at the time of the crash and fled the scene, along with the passenger in the car.  The child’s mother, riding in the ambulance, and two ambulance crew members received minor injuries. Source: Winston-Salem Journal, 2/12/18; 2/13/18.

February 3, 2015 – New Bern
Cherry Point Rescue Squad ambulance collided with a 1999 Ford pick-up truck at an intersection with US 70 and Thurman Road around 6:44 a.m. The ambulance was westbound on the four-lane highway with lights and sirens activated. Three EMS members were aboard, some performing CPR on a patient being transported. The pick-up truck was headed north on Thurman Road. The ambulance overturned on its side, after the collision. The patient in the ambulance later died. Source: Sun Journal, 2/3/15; EMS1, 2/4/15.

September 25, 2012 – Monroe
Sandhills Ambulance Service from South Carolina collided with a tractor-trailer truck at the intersection of US 74 and Venus Street near Carolinas Medical Center Union around 11:00 a.m. The ambulance had just dropped off a patient and were returning to South Carolina. The collision caused the ambulance to overturn onto its side, and the truck to veer off the road in front of a restaurant. EMT Belinda Gale Rivers, 43, riding in the passenger seat of the ambulance, was killed. The investigation later determined that the ambulance ran a red light. The ambulance driver was charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle. Source: Charlotte Observer, 9/28/12; Statesville Record and Landmark, 9/26/12.

October 12, 2010 – Alexander County
Catawba County EMS ambulance collided with an a 2003 Ford Escape SUV on Teague Town Road in Alexander County and just over the Catawba County line around 1:35 p.m. The SUV was travelling eastbound when it crossed the center of a two-lane road and struck the westbound ambulance head-on. The SUV overturned and the ambulance left the roadway a few feet into a field. The 67 year-old male driver died at the scene. The two ambulance workers and the patient suffered non life-threatening injuries. The ambulance driver, most seriously injured, was flown to Carolinas Medical Center. The second EMS worker and the patient were taken to Frye Medical Center. Source: Charlotte Observer, 10/13/00; WBTV 10/11/10.

2000 to 2009

October 22, 2009 – Fort Bragg – Crashed Ambulance Found Thirty Minutes Later
Womack Army Medical Center ambulance crashed in a single-vehicle collision at the intersection of Plank and Turkey roads on post about 10:30 p.m. The ambulance was headed to an emergency call at a parachute training jump at Camp Mackall in Hoke County when the driver lost control of the vehicle, when the road surface changed from asphalt to dirt. The driver overcorrected, the ambulance spun around, and struck a tree on the passenger side. Paramedic Paul Boyer, 54 years old, was pinned in the vehicle. He died from his injuries. The driver was treated and released at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. The crash wasn’t reported until about 30 minutes later, when a solider who spotted the wrecked ambulance flagged down a car, whose driver called 911. The lights of the ambulance were still flashing. Source: Fayetteville Observer, 10/24/09 – JEMS, 10/22/09; WRAL, 10/22/09

February 24, 2006 – Dunn – Ambulance Stolen From Hospital
Dunn Rescue ambulance crashed in a single-vehicle accident on Chicken Farm Road about a half-mile outside Dunn at 12:43 a.m. The ambulance was stolen from Betsy Johnson Regional Hospital and without being noticed. By the time squad members reported the truck missing, they had heard about the crash. The 2005 Chevrolet ambulance was speeding when the truck began to ski, crossed the center line, and overturned several times. The 34 year-old male driver was ejected from the truck and died at the scene. He had been taken to the hospital around midnight by the Erwin Rescue Squad, prior to stealing the ambulance, which was running unattended and with the keys in the ignition. Source: Fayetteville Observer, 2/24/06. 

December 6, 2005 – Raleigh – Patient Stole and Crashed Ambulance
Wake County EMS ambulance was stolen and crashed in a single-vehicle accident on Falls of the Neuse Road near Bland Road around 8:30 a.m. The EMS unit was stolen from 1300 E. Millbrook Road, where it had arrived for a reported seizure at convenience store. The store clerk called 911 at 8:27 a.m. to report a customer in distress. After paramedics arrived, the adult male became combative. As they worked to calm the patient and place him on a stretcher, he ran from the paramedics. They chased the patient, who jumped into the idling unit, and locked the doors. The patient drove away, speeding down the “busy” Millbrook Road. He turned south on Falls of Neuse, which “was filled with rush hour traffic.” At the Bland Road intersection, the ambulance suddenly veered across traffic, drove over a curb, travelled across grass, and struck an embankment. It became airborne, “catapulted across Bland Road,” and struck another small ditch. The 27 year-old male patient, who wasn’t wearing his seat belt, was killed. Sources: News & Observer, 12/7/05; WRAL, 12/7/05.

September 23, 2004 – Forsyth County
Ambulance collided with a car on Old Walkertown Road at Talphin Drive at 3:50 p.m. The car was attempting to cross a line of cars behind a stopped school bus, into the southbound lane of Old Walkertown Road from Talphin Drove. The car was waved through by a motorcyclist who was stopped in the northbound traffic. When the car crossed into the southbound lane, it was struck by the oncoming ambulance. The impact caused a chain reaction, causing the car to collide with the motorcycle, which travelled into the northbound lane and struck a second stopped car. The ambulance overturned after the collision. It was not responding to a call nor carrying patients. The 51 year-old male driver of the first car died at the scene. Two people aboard the ambulance, along with the motorcycle driver, received minor injuries. Source: Winston-Salem Journal, 9/24/04.

June 24, 2004 – Fayetteville
FirstHealth of the Carolinas ambulance collided with a car on Ramsey Street at 2:38 a.m. The car crossed the centerline and was headed the wrong way on the street when it structure the southbound ambulance. The 23 year-old driver of the car died at the scene. The two paramedics received minor injuries. The ambulance was transporting a patient from the Veteran Affairs Hospital in Fayetteville to the VA Hospital in Durham. The patient was not injured. The ambulance reportedly “did not have its [emergency?] lights on.” Source: Fayetteville Observer, 6/25/04, WRAL, 6/25/04.

April 18, 2001 – Eden
Stone Ambulance Service ambulance from Virginia collided with a 1979 Buick on North Van Buren Road at  on Aiken Road, about a half-mile from the city’s northern limits. The ambulance had dropped off a patient at a dialysis center in town and had received an emergency call in Virginia. It was driving north with its lights and sirens activated when it collided with the car. The driver of the car, a 50 year-old male, died at the scene. In July 2001, the ambulance driver was found guilty of misdemeanor death by vehicle in Rockingham County District Court. His sentence included a suspended jail sentence of 10 days and 100 hours of community service. The driver appealed the conviction and as of April 2002, would be retried before a jury in Superior Court. The wife of the deceased drive also filed a lawsuit in April 2002, in Rockingham County Superior Court, against the ambulance driver and his employer. Source: News and Record, 4/5/02

July 25, 2001 – Durham
Durham County EMS ambulance collided with a motorcycle on Fayetteville Street at Cook Road early on a Wednesday morning. The collision happened as the motorcycle attempted to pass the ambulance on the right. The ambulance was headed south on Fayetteville Street, responding to a call on Cook Road. The ambulance was turning right onto Cook Road and operating its lights and siren when it was struck. The motorcycle then collided with a  house. The 35 year-old male motorcyclist died at the scene. Neither of the EMS members were injured. Source: Herald-Sun, 7/26/01.

January 8, 2001 – Dunn
First Health of the Carolinas ambulance collided with a tractor-trailer truck at the intersection of Dunn-Erwin Road and Powell Avenue at about 2:30 p.m. The ambulance was eastbound on Dunn-Erwin Road had slowed down as it approached the intersection. The driver activated the lights and siren as he drove through a red light, but “did not make sure the intersection was clear.” The truck hit the rear of the ambulance. The ambulance subsequently struck and snapped a utility pole, before turning on its side. The ambulance was transporting an 84 year-old woman complaining of abdominal pains from Betsy Johnson Hospital to Wake Medical Center in Raleigh. The woman died in the collision. The truck driver and three EMS employees were not hurt. Two employees at the nearby Tastee Treats received electric shocks as the utility pole broke and interrupted power to the store for a few seconds. One employee lost consciousness and was transported to the hospital. Source: Fayetteville Observer, 1/09/01, 1/10/01, WRAL, 1/8/01, 9/5/01.

August 3, 2000 – Raleigh – Three Killed
Wake County EMS ambulance collided with a car on Capital Boulevard at Calvary Drive about 10:00 p.m., after the car ran a red light. The ambulance was coming from Wake Forest, transporting a Wake Forest police officer with a bullet wound, along with his “patrol sergeant” riding in the back. The officer had responded to a domestic disturbance between a man and a woman at a gas station. When the officer arrived, the man fatally shot the woman, and the ricocheting shot struck the officer in the hand. Because the injuries were not life-threatening, the ambulance was not operating with emergency lights or siren. The EMS unit was travelling south on Capital Boulevard at 45 mph, when the 1992 Toyota Corolla crossed five lanes of traffic and pulled into its path. The vehicles collided and travelled 109 feet south before coming to a rest. Three men in the car were killed, two at the scene (ages 43 and 22) and the third at the hospital (age 36). The fourth person in the car was critically injured, a 21 year-old female. One of the two paramedics and the second police officer in the ambulance were also injured, but not seriously. Source: News and Observer, 8/8/00, 8/10/00.

May 29?, 2000 – Lee County
Ambulance collided with car on US 1 at Cedar Lane about seven miles south of Sanford. The car pulled onto the road from Cedar Lane and struck the ambulance. A 72 year-old male driver was killed. Source:  Fayetteville Observer, 5/30/000.

1990 to 1999

July 27, 1998 – Swannanoa – Struck by Train During Test Drive at Repair Shop
Mission St. Joseph’s Hospital ambulance collided with a freight train on a private road off US 70 at 11:30 a.m. The ambulance wasn’t in service at the time, but being repaired by a nearby auto shop. An employee of the shop was taking the ambulance for a test run with his grandfather as a passenger. It was travelling north from the shop and pulled into the path of the westbound train. The crossing had no signal nor crossbar. The 75 year-old passenger died at the scene. The driver was treated for non-life threatening injuries at Memorial Mission Hospital. Source: Asheville Citizen Times, 7/28/98.

October 19, 1997 – Cabarrus County
Ambulance collided with a car at the intersection of NC 24/27 and US 601 about 11:15 p.m. The ambulance, not on an emergency call, was heading south on US 601, struck the car broadside after the car’s driver ran a red light. The 39 year-old male driver was killed. The two passengers in the car suffered serious and critical injuries, respectively. The driver of the ambulance had minor injuries. Source: Charlotte Observer, 10/20/97.

February 9, 1995 – Cary
Mid South Ambulance Service of Smithfield driver was struck and killed on Interstate 40 near Harrison Avenue just after 8:25 a.m. The ambulance was going to a convalescent hospital when it came upon a minor accident in the right-hand westbound lane, that had happened minutes earlier. The crash involved a tractor-trailer rig that had rear-ended a car, which had been pushed into a van. There were no injuries in the accident. The ambulance driver, Michael Ray Jackson, 24, had checked on the occupants and was walking in front of his ambulance to “retrieve warning markers” when the ambulance rolled forward and onto him. It had been pushed forward by the tractor-trailer truck, that had rolled down an incline into the lane where the ambulance was parked. Jackson was run over by both vehicles. He died at the scene. The second ambulance crew member, a paramedic, and the truck driver stopped the rolling ambulance and truck before any other vehicles were hit. Over the four hours that the scene was investigated, hundreds of motorists “were shocked by the sight of the fatally injured ambulance driver” and some called the highway patrol to complain that Jackson’s body “wasn’t covered soon enough.” Source: News and Observer, 2/10/95.

June 26, 1994 – Fayetteville
Cape Fear Valley Medical Center EMS ambulance collided with a Nissan Maxima at the intersection of Camden Road and Whitfield Street about 8:20 a.m. The ambulance was travelling south on Camden Road and the car was travelling east on Whitfield Street, when the ambulance’s brakes apparently failed and it ran a stop sign. It struck the passenger side of the car and the ambulance turned on its side. An 58 year-old female in the car was killed, and three others were injured, including an eight year-old girl who was critically injured. The ambulance was returning to its headquarters after getting fuel at the service center. Both the ambulance driver and attendant were treated at the hospital and released. This was the first day of operation for Cape Fear EMS, which had taken over the service area for Cumberland County EMS at midnight the night before. The driver was later charged with death by motor vehicle and failure to stop for a stop sign and later acquitted of criminal charges in August 1995. Four civil lawsuits were also been filed against the driver and Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. Source: Fayetteville Observer, 6/27/94; 12/7/94; 8/23/95; News & Record, 6/27/94; Rocky Mount Telegram, 6/28/94. 

March 11, 1994 – Charlotte
Lincoln County EMS ambulance collided with a 1987 Ford Escort at the intersection of NC 16 and Rozzelle’s Ferry Road shortly after 7:00 p.m. The 21 year-old female drive of the car was killed. The ambulance was transporting a cardiac patient to Carolinas Medical Center. There were five people in the ambulance, including the driver. None were seriously injured. Charlotte Observer, 3/13/94.

November 2, 1991 – Randolph County
Ambulance collided with a car on US 220 about two miles north of Seagrove at 7:30 p.m. The ambulance was travelling northbound and had its siren and emergency lights flashing. It was transporting a patient to Randolph Hospital. A car turned left in front of the ambulance and was struck. After the collision, the paramedics tried to revive the 31 year-old driver, who died of her injuries. Both were treated and released at the hospital. Source: Durham Herald-Sun, 11/4/91; Greensboro News and Record, 11/3/91.

February 4, 1990 – Halifax County
Warren County Rescue Squad ambulance collided with a car on Highway 158 about five miles west of Roanoke Rapids. The ambulance was travelling east when a westbound car crossed the centerline and struck the ambulance. The 33 year-old female driver of the car was killed. The two squad members, a patient, and the patient’s daughter were all transported to the hospital. Source: News and Observer, 2/5/90.

1980 to 1989

September 7, 1987 – Warren County
Warren County Ambulance Service ambulance collided with a 1982 Toyota Corolla on NC 43 at Rural Road 1513 at Harrison’s Crossroad, about 10.5 miles south of Warrenton at 4:40 p.m. The head-on collision occurred as the car was headed northbound, while the ambulance was travelling south during a heavy rain. The ambulance had come out of a curve, travelling at about 65 miles per hour, and had crossed the center line. When the vehicles collided, the car spun around 360 degrees and was struck again head-on. The car then spun around in the opposite direction, another 180 degrees, before colliding with the ambulance a third time. The car came to rest on the shoulder and burst into flames. The 20 year-old driver of the car died at the scene. The ambulance was responding to a call in the Arcola community. The 19 year-old ambulance driver was later charged with “driving to the left of center and death by a vehicle.” He and the ambulance attendant were taken to Nash General Hospital, where they were treated and released. Source: Durham Morning Herald, 9/10/87.

April 10, 1987 – Mount Airy
Surry County EMS ambulance collided with a 1984 Buick on US 52 Business about 11:20 p.m. The ambulance was responding to an emergency call and travelling south on US 52 Business when the 16 year-old female driver pulled out and into the path of the ambulance. Her car was pushed up an embankment and into a fence, before overturning on the highway. She died on arrival at Northern Surry Hospital in Mount Airy. The driver of the ambulance was treated and released. A passenger in the car was flown by helicopter to Baptist Hospital and later released. The county later settled a lawsuit filed on behalf of the injured passenger against Surry County EMS. Source: Winston-Salem Journal, 4/13/87.

February 21, 1983 – Stokes County – Two Killed
Stokes County EMS ambulance collided with a car on old Highway 52 at 8:30 a.m., 2.8 miles south of Pilot Mountain. The ambulance was attempting to pass the car—with red lights flashing—when a 1977 Lincoln driven by a 24 year-old female swerved to the left and caused a sideswipe collision. The ambulance was travelling about 70 mph and ran off the road to the left, traveled across the roadway to the right, and ran off the road and struck a tree. It then overturned three or four times. Two people in the ambulance were killed, the 73-year-old female patient died, along with a 32 year-old woman who was accompanying the patient to the hospital. Both were thrown from the ambulance. A paramedic riding in the back of the ambulance was seriously injured. The ambulance driver was not seriously hurt. The driver of the car had seen the ambulance coming, had tried to pull of the road in one place that was too narrow, and was trying to find a wider spot to pull off, when the collision occurred. The driver was later charged with two counts of death by vehicle. The estate of the patient subsequently filed a lawsuit naming five defendants, including the ambulance driver, the car driver, and the car driver’s parents. Source: Greensboro Daily News, 2/22/83; Winston-Salem Journal, 2/25/83; 2/28/83.

May 23, 1981 – Harnett County – Ambulance Driver Suffered Heart Attack
Harnett County Ambulance Service ambulance ran off the roadway on NC 55 about two miles north of coats about 4:50 p.m., after the 40 year-old female driver suffered a heart attack. The ambulance was transporting a patient to Dorothea Dix Hospital in Raleigh. The patient was sedated at the time of the accident. The other ambulance worker, sitting in the jump seat between the front and back, was “writing up my trip report” at the time of the accident. As he felt the ambulance veering off to the right, he saw the driver slumped in her seat. He pulled the driver to the floor and turned the steering wheel to avoid a steep bank on the right side of the road. He shielded the driver’s body as the vehicle left the road. After it stopped, he pulled the driver out of the ambulance, placed her on a stretcher behind the vehicle, and summoned help on the radio. Members of the Buies Creek Fire Department arrived and began performing CPR. Merle Pope Norris, 40, died at a hospital in Erwin. The patient and the second ambulance worker suffered slight injuries. Source: News and Observer, 5/24/81.

1970 to 1979

May 7, 1978 – Lee County
Cumberland Central Ambulance Service was involved a single-vehicle accident at the intersection of Horner Boulevard and Dalrymple Road about 7:50 p.m. The driver lost control of the vehicle “in driving rain.” The ambulance was carrying a “dying patient” from Cape Fear Memorial Hospital in Fayetteville to North Carolina Memorial Hospital in Chapel Hill. The vehicle overturned in a ditch. The patient was found dead after the accident. Source: Durham Morning Herald, 5/8/78. 

August 4, 1975 – Enfield – Two Killed
Enfield Rescue Squad ambulance collided with a car at the intersection of state roads 1210 and 1216 about 11:15 a.m. The car apparently ran a stop sign when it struck the ambulance. Both the ambulance driver (age 48) and the car driver were pinned in the wreckage for about 45 minutes, and later died of their injuries. A passenger in the ambulance was was also injured. Source: Durham Sun, 8/5/75.

July 30, 1973 – Charlotte
Shelby Rescue Squad ambulance collided with a car at an intersection in downtown Charlotte. The patient, a 19 year-old male who had been injured in a car accident in Cleveland County, received additional injuries and died at the hospital about three hours later. The driver and nurse in the ambulance received minor injuries after being thrown out of the ambulance. The driver of the car had minor injuries. He was charged with failure to yield to a siren. The ambulance was being escorted by a Charlotte police car and both vehicles were operating their emergency lights and sirens. The driver of the car said he saw the police car go through the intersection, but didn’t see the ambulance. His car struck the ambulance in its side, which spun around and stopped about 85 feet from the point of impact. Source: Charlotte Observer, 3/30/73; Winston-Salem Journal, 4/1/73.

November 12, 1972 – Wilkesboro
Wilkes Ambulance Service ambulance collided with a car on Highway 421 four miles west of town on a Sunday morning. The ambulance was transporting an 82 year-old male from Wilkes General Hospital to his residence, when the 18 year-old driver of the ambulance attempted to pass an automobile. The car was attempting to make a left turn when the two vehicles collided. The driver of the car was charged with “failure to yield right of way to an emergency vehicle and driving with defective tires.” In the back of the ambulance, an attendant was attempting to give the patient oxygen when the accident happen. The patient died at the scene. The patient’s daughter, riding in the ambulance, was injured and admitted to the hospital. The driver of the car received minor injuries. Source: Hickory Daily Record, 11/13/72.

March 8, 1972 – Durham
Durham Ambulance Service ambulance collided with a car at the intersection of West Club Boulevard and North Duke Street early on a Wednesday morning. The 1969 ambulance was travelling west on Club Boulevard with its lights flashing when it was struck in the side by a 1970 car travelling north on Duke Street. It was transporting a patient to a Durham hospital. The 67 year-old female patient died shortly after the collision, apparently having suffered a heart attack. An ambulance attendant was ejected through the window, and was later reported in fair condition at the hospital. Two other occupants in the ambulance, and the driver of the car, were also treated and released at Watts Hospital. Source: Durham Morning Herald, 3/9/72.

1960 to 1969

May 13, 1968 – Wayne County
Freemont Rescue Squad ambulance collided with a car at the intersection of US 117 and a rural paved road north of Goldsboro. The ambulance was transporting a patient to Wayne Memorial Hospital. The driver later died of his injuries and his wife, a passenger, was also injured. The ambulance driver, his assistant, and the patient’s wife were also injured. Both the car driver’s wife and the patient’s wife later filed a lawsuit against the ambulance driver, the town of Fremont, and the deceased driver’s estate. In December 1968, a Wayne County Superior Court found no liability on the part of the squad or the town, but did award compensation to the two women against the deceased driver’s estate. Sources: News and Observer; 5/14/66, 12/13/68.

September 21, 1966 – Greensboro
Pugh Funeral Home ambulance collided with a car at South Elm Street and Ritters Lake Road. The ambulance was transporting a patient and travelling on South Elm Street. The car was traveling east on Ritters Lake Road. The collision sent the ambulance through the intersection and into a ditch. The patient, a 69 year-old male, was ejected from the vehicle and was killed. The driver of the car was injured. The ambulance was not using red lights nor siren. Source: Greensboro Daily News, 9/22/66.

December 13, 1964 – Rocky Mount
Stokes Mortuary ambulance collided with a car at the intersection of Thomas and Pine streets at 3:20 p.m. The ambulance was travelling west on Thomas Street and the car was travelling north on Pine Street. The 1962 Cadillac ambulance, operating red light and siren, went through a red light and collided with the 1962 Chevrolet. One of the vehicles also struck and snapped a utility pole. Two people in the car were killed, a 21 year-old woman and a two year-old child. The husband was transported to Duke Hospital in Durham, in serious condition. The 45 year-old driver was charged with manslaughter and having no driver’s license. Source: Rocky Mount Telegram, 12/14/64.

January 8, 1964 – Thomasville
Pugh Funeral Home Ambulance collided with a small truck on Highway 62 about 12:30 p.m., after the truck entered the roadway from Rural Road 1547 and pulled into the path of the ambulance. An elderly female patient was being transferred from Mooresville to Archdale. She was thrown from the stretcher into the front seat and died at the hospital of her injuries. Two others aboard the ambulance were also injured, along with the truck driver. The right fender of the truck struck the left fender of the ambulance, spinning the truck into the side of the ambulance, which sent the ambulance out of control and into a small ditch. Source: High Point Enterprise, 1/9/64.

May 20, 1963 – Wake County – Student Struck
Ambulance from Wilson struck a six year-old boy in front of a residence on Highway 64 at [time goes here], six miles east of Raleigh. The boy had stepped off a school bus from Lockhart School near Knightdale when he was struck and dragged under the ambulance. Witnesses said the ambulance passed 30 cars as they waited for the bus to unload several children. The driver was jailed pending a coroner’s inquest. He later testified that he saw the line of stopped cars and thought they had stopped for his ambulance. It travelling at an estimated 60 to 45 miles per hour, and the speed limit was 45 miles per hour. Though he didn’t apply the brakes, he “allowed the ambulance to slow to about 40 mph.” The ambulance was operating its red lights. The 32 year-old male was subsequently found at fault and ordered to place bond in preparation for charges presented to a grand jury. The ambulance was transferring a patient with a head injury from the state tuberculosis sanatorium near Wilson to Memorial Hospital at Chapel Hill. Source: News and Observer, 5/28/63.

February 8, 1962 – Newton Grove – Three Killed
Ambulance from Clinton collided with a carload of high school students on US 701 in front of Hobbton High School around lunch time. The car had pulled out of the school driveway when it collided with the ambulance, which was transporting an elderly woman home from a Clinton Hospital. Three of the six students (all age 18) were killed. Three of the four occupants of the ambulance, and the three other students, received injuries varying from critical to minor. The investigation found that the ambulance driver tried to stop 17 feet from the point of impact. The ambulance struck the car broadside. Recovery efforts at the scene were hampered as between 200 and 300 students were at the site as bystanders. Source: Greensboro Daily News, 2/9/62.

November 20, 1961 – Wilmington
Ambulance collided with a truck on Highway 421 on Monday night, after the truck crossed the center line and struck the ambulance head-on. The 70 year-old truck driver died at the hospital. The ambulance was transporting a cardiac patient from Carolina Beach to Wilmington. The patient was critically injured in the collision. Three others in the ambulance were also injured. Source: Greensboro Record, 11/21/61.

October 8, 1961 – Bessemer City – Two Killed
Sisk Funeral Home Ambulance collided with a car, as the automobile rounded a curve two blocks from the funeral home about 8:00 p.m. The ambulance was returning from an out-of-town trip when it crashed head-on into the car. The car first sideswiped a second vehicle, then struck the ambulance, which had answered “an accident call” but was not carrying any patients. One of the two occupants, a 19 year-old male, was thrown from the automobile. He died at the hospital the next day. The other occupant, a 21 year-old male, was also hospitalized and died on October 10. Police were unable to determine which of the two was driving. The driver of the ambulance was also injured. Source: Charlotte Observer, 10/10/61, 10/11/61; News and Observer, 10/10/61.

1950 to 1959

August 19, 1959 – Mecklenburg County
Baker-Bynum Funeral Home ambulance collided with a car at the intersection of NC 51 and US 74, ten miles east of Charlotte. The ambulance was transporting a 72 year-old cancer victim from Kinston to a rest home in Forest City, when it was struck by an automobile. An 55 year-old woman riding in the car was killed, and six others were injured—two in the car and four in the ambulance. The car had apparently pulled into the path of the ambulance. Source: Charlotte Observer, 8/20/59; Statesville Record and Landmark, 8/21/59.

November 27, 1955 – Moore County
Kennedy Funeral Home Ambulance collided with a car at the intersection of Robbins Highway and NC 27 about 12:30 p.m. It was transporting an 43 year-old woman from Robbins who had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. The patient was thrown from the ambulance through the rear door and died of her injuries. Two people riding with the patient were injured, along with two people in the automobile. Source: Charlotte Observer, 11/28/55; Greensboro News and Record, 11/28/55; News and Observer, 11/28/55.

June 10, 1955 – Stokes County
Needham Funeral Home ambulance collided with a car and plunged down an embankment on Highway 52 near the Dalton Bridge, about three miles north of King, at 4:15 p.m. The driver, a mortician from Pilot Mountain, apparently lost control of the combination ambulance and hearse after applying the brakes. The highway was “slick from a four-hour drizzle.” The ambulance sideswiped the left rear fender of a car, went out of control and “traveled about 1,110 on both shoulders of the road and crossed the highway three times,” and then “jumped” the 37-foot bank. Skid marks of 516 feet were recorded. The driver of the ambulance, a 48 year-old man, died as they reached the hospital. His wife was seriously injured. Source: Winston-Salem Journal, 6/11/55.

June 9, 1955 – Charlotte
Davidson Brothers Funeral Home ambulance collided with a car at Mint and Morehead streets at 7:45 p.m. It was transporting a male patient to Good Samaritan Hospital. An 54 year-old female passenger in the car was killed and the driver was critically injured. An ambulance attendant was also injured. The collision caused the car to skid across the intersection and strike two more automobiles that had “stopped to make way for the ambulance.” The impact caused the ambulance to veer to the southwest corner of the intersection and it “came to rest in a service station lot.” The 19 year-old male driver of the ambulance was later convicted in city court of operating a “passenger-carrying vehicle without a proper chauffer’s license.” State law required license holders be at least 21 years of age. Source: Charlotte News, 6/10/55; Charlotte Observer, 6/10/55.

April 10, 1955 – Salisbury – Two Killed
Peeler Funeral Home ambulance collided with a car at West Innes Street and Mahaley Avenue around 6:00 p.m. The ambulance was headed toward the hospital and transporting the victim of a wreck on Statesville Road. The car was heading toward Salisbury on West Innes Street. The collision “whipped” the car around in the opposite direction and the ambulance overturned several times. One of the occupants of the car was ejected, a 39 year-old female, and died at the scene. The patient in the ambulance was also ejected, a seven year-old boy, and he also died. Five others were injured, including the ambulance driver and the ambulance attendant. All were later reported as “doing well” by the hospital. Source: Salisbury Post, 4/12/55.

April 30, 1954 – Laurinburg
Cooper Funeral Home ambulance collided with a taxi cab at the intersection of Church and Main streets at 12:50 a.m., in the “heart of the business district.” The ambulance was transporting a patient to Scotland County Memorial Hospital. The patient and three companions were thrown from the ambulance and not seriously hurt. The ambulance driver and another passenger were not injured. The ambulance struck the taxi broadside, and the 21 year-old male cab driver died at the scene. The ambulance had sounded the siren as it approached the intersection, “but the cab shot in front of [it] too quickly to avoid a collision. Source: Robesonian, 3/1/54.

December 6, 1952 – Raleigh
Pennington-Smith Funeral Home ambulance collided with a car at the intersection of Martin and Dawson streets about 6:15 p.m. The ambulance was traveling with lights and siren on Dawson Street at 40 miles per hour, five miles an hour above the speed limit. The car, a station wagon, overturned and crashed into the door of Warren’s Restaurant at the intersection. There were no injuries to the 60 to 70 people in the restaurant. A second car was headed east on Martin Street and was also struck by the ambulance, with minor damage to the vehicle and no injuries to the driver. The ambulance was answering an emergency call on Old Stage Road off Highway 15-A. The driver in the car later died from their injuries on December 16, and two teenage passengers in the car were injured. Both funeral home employees were also injured. In late January, the ambulance driver was cleared in city court of a manslaughter charge, arising from the death of the car’s driver. Source: News and Observer, 1/28/53.

July 18, 1951 – Statesville
Nicholson Funeral Home ambulance collided with a 1941 Pontiac coach at the intersection of South Mulberry and West Front streets about 8:15 p.m. The 23 year-old male driver of the car died at the scene. The Cadillac ambulance was operating its siren at the time of the collision, transporting a gunshot victim to the hospital. The ambulance driver, the patient, and an passenger the car were not injured in the collision. Two days later, a coroner’s jury exonerated the driver of the ambulance. Source: Statesville Daily Record, 7/10/51; 7/20/51.

1940 to 1949

July 17, 1948 – Greensboro
Hargett Funeral Home ambulance collided with a car at the intersection of Walker Avenue and Chapman Street at 6:45 p.m. The ambulance was travelling south on Chapman Street and “answering a call in Pomona.” The car was travelling east on Walker Avenue. One person was killed, a 32 year-old male, the driver of the car. He and two others were thrown from the car. Seven others were injured, with various degrees of injuries, including the ambulance driver and his assistant, both of whom were not badly injured. City council subsequently passed an ordinance that month requiring fire trucks and ambulances to “cut speed and add caution” when travelling on city streets, as a result of the accident. They attempted to pass the ordinance in July 1947, but “failed to do so after protest by ambulance officials.” Source: Greensboro Daily News, 7/19/48; Greensboro Record, 7/21/48; 12/13/48.

December 28, 1947 – Wake County – Pedestrian Struck
Thomas Yelverton Company Ambulance from Wilson struck a pedestrian on Highway 264 about three miles southeast of Rolesville. The ambulance was “speeding a patient” to Duke Hospital in Durham when a man attempted to run across the highway in front of the ambulance. The ambulance driver told officials that the man “got out of a car near the spot, started to walk across the road, hesitated, and then started to run across.” The ambulance driver applied the brakes when the man first started across, then “proceeded” when he hesitated. When the ambulance was “about 10 feet away,” the man began to run “and headed directly into the machine’s path.” The 55 year-old man died with minutes of the accident. He had been intoxicated. The ambulance driver was cleared of blame in the subsequent coroner’s inquest. Source: Asheville Times, 12/29/47; News and Observer, 12/29/47, Rocky Mount Telegram, 12/29/47.

June 9, 1945 – Burlington
Ambulance from Graham collided with a car near the intersection of Highway 54 and Highway 49, shortly before 5:00 p.m. The ambulance was answering an emergency call. The car struck the ambulance on the front fender and was “virtually demolished.” A passenger in the car, a 22 year-old solder from Asheboro, died on the way to the hospital. He was home on a weekend pass from Camp Butner. The two occupants of the ambulance and two others in the car received minor injuries. Source: Greensboro Daily News, 6/10/45; Charlotte Observer, 6/11/45.

1930 to 1939

October 7, 1939 – Raleigh – Two Ambulances Collided
Two ambulances from Lightner Funeral Home and Raleigh Funeral Home collided at the intersection of Cabarrus and Blount streets between 10:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. They were responding to a reported “knife cutting” on South Street, which was later found to be fatal. The ambulance drivers didn’t hear each other, as each were travelling “with their sirens wide open.“ The impact caused the Lightner ambulance to veer off the roadway and collide with a car being serviced at Third Ward Service Station. The driver of the Lightner ambulance was critically injured and later died. Two people at the gas station were also injured, including a “one-legged man seated in front.” Source: News and Observer, 10/8/39, 10/9/39.

July 30, 1933 – Winston-Salem
Manuel Funeral Home Ambulance collided with a car at the intersection of First Street and Hawthorne Road at 11:37 p.m. The ambulance was operating its siren as it approached the intersection on Hawthorne, travelling “in the direction of the hospital.”  The “coupe” came from the direction of Hanestown, struck the rear of the ambulance, went out of control, and “came to a standstill well inside the front of the Dixie Drug Company.” The ambulance rolled onto its side. The 38 year-old male driver died at the hospital on August 1. None of the people aboard the ambulance, including the patient, were injured. Police said that both drivers would be charged with reckless driving. Source: Winston-Salem Journal, 6/30/33; Twin Cities Sentinel, 8/1/33; 8/15/33.

June 8, 1933 – Charlotte
Douglas & Sing Funeral Home ambulance collided with a car at the intersection of Cecil Street and Elizabeth Avenue about 4:30 p.m. The green ambulance was answering an emergency call and travelling west on Elizabeth Avenue, while the car was travelling north on Cecil Street. The driver of the car apparently failed to hear the ambulance’s siren. Both vehicles came to rest on the lawn of Central High School. The 24 year-old male ambulance driver died at the scene. His assistant was critically injured. The driver of the car was also injured. Source: Charlotte Observer, 6/9/33.

July [?], 1930 – Durham
Funeral home [?] ambulance collided with an automobile at an unspecified intersection. A female passenger in the car died several days later. The ambulance driver was convicted of manslaughter given a twelve-month suspended sentence and ordered to pay $600 to the victim’s estate. Source: News and Observer, 7/18/30, The Sentinel, 7/18/30.

1920 to 1929

August 9, 1929 – Forsyth County
Bodenheimer’s Funeral Home ambulance collided with a car just west of the intersection of Old Mineral Springs Road and Rural Hall Road, four miles north of Winston-Salem, about 6:30 p.m. The ambulance was going to Moore Springs to get a patient and travelling north on Rural Hall Road. The “small roadster” was headed west on Old Mineral Springs Road. The ambulance struck the car in the center and “knocked it several feet.” The ambulance “ran up an embankment,” overturned and struck a passenger [ejected?] from the car. The 56 year-old male driver died at the hospital four hours later. The driver of the car was also injured. The ambulance driver was charged with mans