eader Editor
One of the Oxford Fire Department’s ambulances is going to be out of commission for an estimated three weeks following a crash Tuesday morning.
According to Fire Chief Pete Scholz, the ambulance was eastbound on W. Drahner Rd., near Glaspie Rd., when it struck a pickup truck pulling a trailer that ‘turned right in front of? the emergency vehicle.
The pickup was sitting on the shoulder of the road (south side) when it pulled out to make a left-turn into a driveway on the north side of W. Drahner Rd., the chief said.
Neither driver was injured. The ambulance was not transporting a patient.
Scholz reported the ambulance sustained ‘quite a bit of damage? to its front end and suspension system.
‘It will be out of service for a while,? he said. ‘Probably about three weeks.?
The department owns three other ambulances, unfortunately, one of them is currently being serviced, so the agency is down to two units. However, when needed, Oxford relies on mutual aid from neighboring fire departments to handle medical calls.
At the time of the crash, Scholz said the ambulance’s lights and siren were activated because it was responding to a house fire at 20 Ensley St. in the village.
The fire had began on a stovetop, then spread to a cupboard and ceiling above it, according to the chief. Firefighters were able to knock it down right away.
Scholz estimated the home probably suffered approximately $25,000 in damage.