• February 22, 2023

Lexington, KY -- February 20, 2023, two people were injured after an accident where a UPS truck and an ambulance collided on Georgetown.

Officials said that the incident happened early Monday along Georgetown Road at Citation Boulevard. Initial details say that an ambulance was transporting a patient with its lights and siren on. They were going down Georgetown when, according to police, a UPS truck crashed into the ambulance at Citation.

Due to the collision, the patient and a paramedic in the ambulance were taken to a hospital. No other injuries were reported. The exact factors leading to the collision, but one source says the truck driver told officials that "his view was blocked by a box truck." What exactly does that mean in terms of an accident?

While I can't say what happened here, a vehicle being in the way isn't generally an acceptable reason not to yield to an ambulance. They're equipped with flashing lights and loud sirens for a reason. Most any reasonably prudent driver should have the awareness to see and yield to emergency vehicles.

But even if there was a box truck in the way, where was that box truck in all of this? Was it traveling the same direction as the UPS truck? Was it slowing down or at a stop and yielding to the ambulance?
If so, shouldn't that clue other drivers that something is up, and they need to slow down and find out why that driver is suddenly stopping or slowing? Are there unusual factors not in the news that could help explain why this driver wasn't able to see the ambulance?

It's fortunate this all didn't lead to any deaths, but it's a serious issue nonetheless. When it comes to professional truck drivers, they have unique challenges the rest of us don't have to contend with, and maybe those challenges proved insurmountable here. Otherwise, a professional driver's inability to follow pretty basic traffic safety rules raises concerns about their abilities going forward without any kind of correction.

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