Portage ambulance, SUV involved in wreck; two medics, other driver injured
Two Portage medics complained of pain after the ambulance they were riding in was struck by a sport utility vehicle Wednesday afternoon that was driving too fast for snow-covered roads, according to police.
The two medics, and another two medics who also were in the ambulance, were transported to the hospital for evaluation. The ambulance was returning to the fire station at the time and no patients were inside, according to a release from Portage Police.
The SUV driver, a 36-year-old man from Hobart, was not wearing a seatbelt, police said, and he suffered a serious head injury, though he is expected to survive.
Officers responded around 2:43 p.m. Feb. 12 to the area of the Willowcreek Bypass south of Chrisman Road for a report of a collision involving a Portage Fire Department ambulance, police said.
Initial reports indicate that a white 2013 Chevrolet Equinox was southbound over the Willowcreek Bypass at an unsafe speed for the roads, police said.
'The combination of excessive speed and snow-covered roads caused the driver of the SUV to lose control and cross the center line into the northbound lanes,' police said.
The SUV sideswiped a northbound delivery truck before striking the ambulance, which was northbound in the outside lane, head-on.
The driver of the SUV was thrown from the driver's seat into the passenger side of his vehicle during the collision, police said, and suffered a serious head injury that rendered him unconscious.
Several medical helicopters were requested but could not fly because of the weather conditions. The driver of the SUV was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital.
The Chevrolet Equinox and the ambulance were both towed from the scene due to disabling damage. The Willowcreek Bypass was closed to all traffic for approximately an hour and a half before being reopened.
The Portage Street Department assisted in setting up barricades to keep traffic out of the area during the investigation.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Fatal head-on crash involving 18-wheeler claims life of Odessa driver
ECTOR COUNTY, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- A 45-year-old Odessa man was killed in a two-vehicle crash early Friday morning on Loop 338. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the crash occurred at around 4:20 a.m. on June 6 at the intersection of Loop 338 and US Highway 385, just outside Odessa city limits. Preliminary details from DPS investigators indicate that a 2023 Chevrolet Equinox, driven by Raymund Gabriel Rodriguez of Odessa, was traveling eastbound on Loop 338 when, for unknown reasons, it veered into the westbound lane. The Equinox then collided head-on with a 2016 Freightliner Cascade pulling a trailer. Rodriguez was wearing a seatbelt but was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the semi, 46-year-old Michael Gonzalez Diaz of Miami, Florida, was not injured. The investigation remains ongoing, and no further details have been released. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Decatur police officers testify in court about DUI crash that killed 17-year-old
Jun. 4—At a preliminary hearing Tuesday, officers testified that a Decatur man charged with DUI and murder admitted to drinking and claimed he had a high tolerance after crashing into another vehicle at more than 80 miles per hour and killing the driver. Kevin Jay Penich, 35, sat beside his court-appointed attorney, Patrick Caver, in the courtroom of Morgan County District Judge Shelly Waters. He watched silently as Caver and the prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Courtney Schellack, questioned three Decatur police officers on the witness stand. Penich has been held without bond in the Morgan County Jail since his arrest on May 17 following an Aniah's Law hearing. According to an affidavit, he was detained after allegedly slamming his Toyota Camry into a Chevrolet Equinox driven by 17-year-old Chloe Hastings at Beltline Road and Westmead Drive Southwest. Hastings' vehicle burst into flames after the impact, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. The families of both Penich and Hastings were present at the hearing. Officer Grant Jones was the first witness to testify. "By the time you get there, the suspect is detained in the back of the patrol car?," Schellack asked. "That's correct," Jones replied. Jones said he consulted with other officers who were present at the scene about conversations Penich had with them. "They said he was slurring his words, stumbling around, and smelled of alcohol and had glassy, bloodshot eyes," Jones said. Jones said he then spoke with Penich to get his side of the story and Penich admitted to being drunk and driving under the influence, telling him he had several beers and several shots. Schellack then asked how compliant Penich was through the arrest process and Jones said he became "overly aggressive." "He blew kissy faces through the bars of the patrol car and called me a b**** and asked if I was married or single," Jones said. Jones said he had executed a search warrant to test Penich's blood but said it could be months before the results are returned. In the affidavit, it said Penich refused to perform any field sobriety tests or a breath test. Chad Chapman was the second officer to take the stand and told Schellack that Hastings was traveling north on Beltline Road and Penich hit her vehicle in the rear and sent her in the southbound lane. "He was traveling at a high rate of speed and appeared to break slightly before impact," Chapman said. Chapman said video footage of the crash was obtained from a nearby business, though he did not name the location. He testified that Penich was traveling over 80 miles per hour at the time of impact and had reached approximately 111 miles per hour shortly before the crash, according to data from his vehicle's onboard computer. The speed limit on that section of Beltline Road is 45 miles per hour, according to Schellack. Schellack then questioned Chapman about where Penich had been drinking prior to the wreck. "He went to Alfonzo's (Pizza & Italian Restaurant) and had two beers and four shots," Chapman said. "Then he went to Logan's (Roadhouse) and had two beers and four shots, and finally to Buffalo Wild Wings, where he had two beers and four shots." Schellack noted that Penich had posted pictures of himself drinking at Alfonzo's on Facebook earlier that day. "He left Alfonzo's at 5 and left Logan's at 7 to head to Buffalo Wild Wings," Chapman said. The wreck occurred shortly after 9 p.m., according to Decatur police. Chapman said witnesses at the establishments confirmed Penich had been drinking there and that police used receipts to determine the number of drinks he consumed. The final officer to testify, Matt Young, said he interviewed Penich at the jail on May 19. "(Penich) said he had a high tolerance for drinking and probably had too much to drink," Young said, adding that the case remains under active investigation. Waters concluded the hearing by finding probable cause to bind the case over to a grand jury. She said Penich will remain in custody following the court's previous decision under Aniah's Law. — or 256-340-2442.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Yahoo
One person dead in wrong-way crash on U.S. 150 in Danville
DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — One person is dead following a crash on U.S. Route 150 near Danville Friday morning. The crash happened between Interstate 74 and Henning Road. Officials with the Illinois State Police said that at 1:30 a.m., a Chevrolet Equinox was driving the wrong way — going westbound in the eastbound lane — when it hit an eastbound vehicle head on. Vermilion Advantage gets grant to create jobs, improve economy The driver of the eastbound vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the westbound vehicle was airlifted from the scene and was taken to an area hospital with injuries. Route 150 was shut down in both directions for several hours after the crash, with traffic being diverted onto Henning Road and I-74. The road has since reopened, according to Danville Police. The investigation into the crash is still open, and State Police said no further information could be provided. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
