When drivers in Ohio hear the wail of an ambulance, they expect to see flashing red lights whiz by as the vehicle is off to assist the victim of some incident unknown. What they don't expect to be greeted by is the emergency vehicle tipped on its side in need of assistance itself.

This alarming scene recently greeted drivers of Ohio after an ambulance rolled over. The vehicle rollover trapped one of the drivers and in this strange turn of events, the emergency responder was in need of a fellow responder as he became a victim, tapped for over 30 minutes. The driver was transported via helicopter to an Ohio hospital. In addition, one other victim was taken to another hospital by ground transport.

It appears the ambulance was returning from transporting a patient when a trailer came loose from a car headed in the opposite direction and struck the ambulance, causing the subsequent rollover.

The critical nature of this scenario and situations like it could be further heightened because the vehicle could have been en route to transferring a patient. Not only would this victim need to be tended to but after the accident any additional victims could necessitate attention as well.

Thankfully, in this case, authorities report there were no patients in the ambulance. Authorities have not yet released the condition of the emergency vehicle driver. In situations involving large-vehicle rollovers, the rollover could have been caused by negligent manufacturing. The liability in this case has yet to be reported as the incident is still under investigation.

Source: Toledo Blade, "Ambulance rolls over on Rt. 2, traps occupant," Mar. 9, 2012