A retired Dothan firefighter/paramedic died after his ambulance struck a tree and burst into flames Thursday.
Robert L. Parrish, 70, apparently suffered a medical emergency while behind the wheel in Pike County, The Dothan Eagle reported.
The ambulance veered off U.S. 231 where it struck a tree and caught fire.
Ruby D. Collins, 63, of Troy, was the patient being transported when the crash occurred. She was taken to Flowers Hospital in Dothan.
Hannah L. Sumner, 28, of Dothan, the paramedic in the Pilcher Ambulance,, was taken to Southeast Health in Dothan.
State troopers said Parrish’s death may not have been caused by the crash.
A Good Samaritan was injured as he attempted to rescue the ambulance occupants. Edward Howell, 50, of Ozark, suffered 2nd-degree burns and inhaled smoke from the fire causing injured lungs. Howell is currently at the University of Alabama at Birmingham on a ventilator but is stable and in good spirits, reports indicate.
