Elderly Driver Hits Ambulance Responding to Emergency in Houlton
Maine State Police say a car struck an ambulance in downtown Houlton Saturday afternoon as the ambulance was responding to an emergency call.
The Houlton Ambulance, operated by 24-year-old Samantha Polchies, was responding to help someone with respiratory issues around 1:30 p.m., according to a news release from Corporal Dennis Quint. The ambulance and crew was heading south on North Street.
Meanwhile, 83-year-old George Barrow of Houlton was stopped at a red light at the intersection of North Street and Union Square in a 2007 Ford Taurus. As the ambulance approached the intersection with its emergency lights and siren activated, the traffic light turned green.
Barrow proceeded through the intersection and did not see or hear the ambulance, Quint said. The car struck the left side of the ambulance.
Houlton Police responded to the crash but requested that State Police conduct the investigation. Trooper Ryan Kilcollins responded to the scene.
The ambulance crew complained of minor pain and Barrow was not injured, state police said. The accident is still under investigation.
