An 8-year-old girl was critically injured in a head-on crash between an ambulance and an SUV on Thursday night in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
The Foxborough Fire Department said in a press release Friday morning that the crash occurred around 6:41 p.m. Thursday in the area of 215 Main St. When they arrived, the department said they found five people who were injured.
An 8-year-old girl who was in the back seat of a Honda Pilot SUV suffered life-threatening, traumatic injuries, according to the fire department, and was taken by ambulance to Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleborough. She was stabilized and later taken by medical helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. No update on her condition was released Friday.
The 40-year-old woman who was driving the Honda Pilot, the girl’s mother, was also hospitalized, according to the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office.
The driver of the ambulance, a 25-year-old female EMT, was walking around and was attending to the other patients before the fire department arrived. Authorities said she was also hospitalized.
A man in his 20s who was working as an EMT on the ambulance was conscious and alert but was taken to Sturdy Memorial Hospital for evaluation.
A 77-year-old man who was on a stretcher in the back of the ambulance being brought back to their home from a rehabilitation facility was found still strapped to the stretcher inside the vehicle. He was taken to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence for evaluation.
People who live in the area of the accident scene say they were shocked by the crash.
“I was crying. It was awful, I was shaking just thinking about it. It was bad,” said Taylor Spencer, who lives across from where the crash happened.
“I just heard a huge smash, and I said, ‘What is that?’ So, I flew out and I saw the accident and I said, ‘Oh, my God,’” said Shauna Haggerty, who lives next to Spencer.
Nearby neighbors and drivers passing by rushed to help all five people who were involved.
“I heard her say ‘Mommy,’” recounted Haggerty. “So, let’s hope everything is OK.”
“I had a hard time sleeping. It was not something that was fun to see,” added Spencer.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the district attorney’s office, Foxborough police and Massachusetts State Police.