Four injured in four-vehicle accident involving ambulance Saturday in Greencastle

Monday, November 5, 2012

Four people were injured just before noon Saturday when an ambulance running red lights and siren was struck by a car pulling out of a parking area near the entrance to Robe-Ann Park in Greencastle.

Four vehicles were ultimately involved in the 11:57 a.m. accident on Bloomington Street, near its intersection with Hanna Street, Greencastle City Police Capt. Mike Hanlon reported.

Total damage was estimated at $50,000-$100,000.

The accident occurred as a 2010 Chevrolet Express Putnam County Operation Life ambulance, driven by Mitchell Troyer, 25, Indianapolis, was northbound on Bloomington Street, running red lights and siren on an emergency call.

With an uninvolved vehicle pulled over to the right near the park entrance, the ambulance went around it just as a 2001 Dodge Neon, driven by Zakkary Waddell, 20, Greencastle, pulled out of the nearby Roban Apartments parking lot.

Waddell's car struck the ambulance in the passenger's side, causing it to fishtail out of control, Capt. Hanlon reported, and crash head-on into a southbound 1993 Chevrolet, driven by Linda McCalister, 52, Greencastle.

McCalister had stopped, waiting to turn left into the north drive of Roban Apartments. Impact by the ambulance pushed the McCalister vehicle backward into a southbound 1995 Chevrolet Tahoe, driven by James Cope, 32, Greencastle.

The McCalister car then careened off the roadway onto the Carpenter Realty property along the west side of Bloomington Street.

Both Linda McCalister and her passenger, Gordon McCalister, 45, suffered broken ankles as a result of the accident. She also suffered lacerations to her leg and had to be extricated from the vehicle, police said.

Also injured in the four-vehicle accident were:

-- Rachel Cope, 28, Greencastle, a front-seat passenger in the Tahoe. She suffered an abrasion to the head after hitting the windshield and shattering it.

-- A six-year-old female passenger in a child restraint seat in the Tahoe. She suffered a bruise/contusion to the head, possibly from an item that became airborne inside the truck following the collision.

Meanwhile, Waddell, driver of the Dodge Neon, was issued three citations by Capt. Hanlon. Waddell was ticketed for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, an infraction of driving with a suspended license and failure to prove financial responsibility (no insurance).

Capt. Hanlon was assisted at the scene by Reserve Officer Kyle Lee.

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  • I wonder which of the drivers were texting??

    -- Posted by donantonioelsabio on Mon, Nov 5, 2012, at 8:05 PM
  • donantonioelsabio, no one was moving except the ambulance and the Neon. Several were injured, including some of my family. Your rude comment is uncalled for and ignorant.

    -- Posted by thatslife on Mon, Nov 5, 2012, at 11:14 PM
  • Strange scenario,look at the weight difference between ambulance and Neon. I'm wondering if ambulance driver had both hands on steering wheel running Signal 10.

    -- Posted by kubotafan on Tue, Nov 6, 2012, at 6:48 AM
  • That's right, deflect fault. Had the 20yo without a license OR insurance NOT BEEN BREAKING THE LAW IN THE FIRST PLACE, this accident may not have happened.

    Too bad there isn't a law against stupid.

    I feel bad for everyone BUT the 20-yo without license/insurance .. because everyone ELSE will have their insurance go up because of him.

    -- Posted by Emmes on Tue, Nov 6, 2012, at 11:09 AM
  • I agree w/ Emmes. Besides, IF the ambulance driver had only one hand on the wheel he may have had one hand on a communication device, talking to the hospital or some such thing.

    -- Posted by lj7656 on Wed, Nov 7, 2012, at 12:30 PM
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