Pordenone: fatal accident between an ambulance and a truck
New accident with 3 casualties: one of them was a volunteer of the Italian Red Cross
The incident during lunchtime
A tragic start to the year for emergency services in Italy. Just a few days after the tragedy involving an ambulance from the 118 emergency service that crashed into a tourist bus, resulting in the loss of 3 rescuers and the transported patient’s life, we must report another incident.
At 1:30 PM today, January 2, 2024, a collision between an Italian Red Cross ambulance, a truck, and an SUV claimed the lives of 3 individuals and injured two others.
The tragic toll includes the truck driver, employed by Trans Ghiaia and on his first day of work, a volunteer from the Maniago Red Cross inside the ambulance, and the patient being transported.
The second volunteer from the rescue vehicle was airlifted to the Udine hospital in critical condition.
The sequence of events
The ambulance was traveling on Cimpello-Sequals road, in the municipality of Zoppola in the province of Pordenone when it was involved in the collision, which, according to preliminary reconstructions, appears to have been caused by a reckless overtaking maneuver.
Following the impact, the truck, carrying gravel, went off the road and into a ditch below, killing the driver instantly.
As mentioned earlier, the volunteer from the Italian Red Cross, unfortunately, did not survive, as well as the patient, a dialysis patient who was being transported from the University Hospital of Padua, where she had been discharged that same morning.
Immediate response from the Fire Brigade and Law Enforcement was on the scene, already working to reconstruct the accident’s dynamics.
Initial statements
One of the first statements came via social media from the President of the Italian Red Cross, Rosario Valastro, who stated: “We are devastated. Unfortunately, our volunteer colleague who was driving the ambulance did not make it, as well as the patient. We stand with the CRI Committee of Maniago and all the volunteers from Friuli. We are in contact with the President of CRI Friuli Venezia Giulia, Milena Cisilino, who is also deeply affected by the initial news. Our thoughts are with the families and colleagues of all the victims.”
Our thoughts
As we wrote a few days ago following the incident in Urbino, we can only come together around the families of the victims, expressing our deepest condolences. Tragedies like this should not happen, and they once again highlight the need for the utmost protection, safety, and gratitude for the 118 emergency service personnel who work tirelessly every day for our safety and health.
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