An EMS driver and firefighter with the Mooers (N.Y.) Volunteer Fire Department apparently suffered a fatal heart attack and crashed the ambulance he was driving early Tuesday morning.
According to a news report published in the Press Republican, a newspaper based in Plattsburgh, N.Y., Eric Monty, 45, of Mooers suffered a medical incident behind the wheel of the ambulance he was driving in Altona that caused him to leave the road.
Several news agencies are reporting that Monty suffered a heart attack and died shortly before the wreck. He was pronounced dead at the scene and an autopsy revealed the medical incident that caused the crash.
In the ambulance in which Monty was driving was Susan Roberts, 52, an EMT with Champlain EMS. Roberts, who is Monty’s sister, was injured and taken to CVPH Medical Center in Plattsburgh where she was recovering, according to the newspaper.
EMS Technician Peter Coulombe, 26, of Champlain, was more seriously hurt, suffering a head injury which required him to be airlifted to Fletcher Allen Health Center in Burlington where he underwent successful surgery on Tuesday, according to the Press Republican.
Also injure was the patient, Gary Lamarche, 55, of Altona who was on his way to CVPH when the crash occurred. He was reportedly in stable condition after he was admitted to the hospital.
The newspaper reported that the ambulance that wrecked was stationed at the Mooers Volunteer Fire Department and was proving mutual aid to the Altona Fire District at the time of the crash which occurred at 12:17 a.m. Tuesday on Route 190.
After Monty suffered his medical emergency, the ambulance struck a drainage ditch, a guy wire and an embankment, stopping with part of the vehicle in Duley Road, according to the newspaper. At the time of the crash, the weather was cloudy but the roads were dry.
New York State Police are investigating the crash.
