Local
75-Year-Old Cardiac Patient Dies After Ambulance Collides With Cars on 63rd Street
An ambulance carrying a man in cardiac arrest crashed into at least two other vehicles near 63rd and Race streets Monday evening, and the patient was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital. The driver of a Nissan Altima was also injured, and police have not yet determined what caused the collision.
A 75-year-old man being rushed to the hospital in cardiac arrest died Monday evening after the ambulance carrying him was involved in a multi-vehicle crash in West Philadelphia, according to police.
The collision occurred on 63rd Street near Race Street just before 6 p.m., when the ambulance and at least two other cars collided. Aerial footage captured shortly after 6 p.m. showed the ambulance stopped in the middle of the roadway alongside the other vehicles, which had sustained front-end damage.
The patient, a 75-year-old man, was transported from the scene and pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m., police said. A second person â the driver of a Nissan Altima â was also taken to a hospital. Authorities did not immediately release that person's condition.
Investigators have not said what caused the crash. The Philadelphia Police Department's Crash Investigations Group is handling the case, and the roadway has since fully reopened.
The death raises difficult questions about emergency response in a city where ambulance crews routinely navigate dense traffic while caring for patients in critical condition. It was not immediately clear whether the patient's death was attributable to the crash, his underlying medical emergency, or a combination of both; police have not released further details.
Anyone with information about the collision is urged to contact the Philadelphia Police Department's Crash Investigations Group.