Crew members injured, in collision involving Beatrice Fire and Rescue ambulance

BEATRICE – Two Beatrice Fire and Rescue staffers are fine, after a Sunday collision in Lincoln. The crash totaled one of the ambulance trucks operated by Beatrice Fire and Rescue.

"Two of the four firefighters who were in the ambulance were transported to Bryan West. They were observed, they ran a bunch of tests on them and both were released yesterday morning. One's back to work today and one is still pretty sore, so he's not here today."

Fire and Rescue Chief Brian Daake says the ambulance crew was handling a rescue call in Gage County, transporting a patient to a Lincoln health care facility when the unit was struck by another vehicle, near South 48th and Parkway, just before 8 a.m., Sunday. The driver of the other vehicle failed to yield to the city-owned ambulance.

Daake said in a medical emergency like this call, three or four EMTs or Paramedics are sent with the unit when there is a transport to a facility out of town.

"Both vehicles involved in the accident, I would say, are probably totaled. Our ambulance was struck in the chassis area....the front end....the engine block area......so quite extensive damage.

The collision set off airbags on the ambulance…which was one of the newer units in the department….about a 2020 model year. "We normally have five ambulances....one's in the shop right now for mechanical issues....one is waiting to go into the shop for mechanical issues...and we have two other ambulances. We're at about three, as opposed to five."

Daake said the department will be able to get by, for now. A new ambulance, Daake says costs "north of $200,000."

The good news is no one was seriously hurt among the four staff members onboard. Two staffers in the ambulance did not require medical treatment. The crew members’ identities were not released.  Lincoln Fire and Rescue responded to the scene of the collision.