By Jon Moss
syracuse.com
SYRACUSE, N.Y. 鈥� Both drivers are to blame for this spring of an SUV and a city ambulance on the Near West Side, Syracuse police say.
The ambulance was on the way to Upstate University Hospital with a 3-year-old girl who had experienced cardiac arrest at a nearby apartment building.
The girl was moved to a different ambulance to finish the trip to the hospital, , officials said. Police did not say how the crash, if at all, impacted the care the girl received or whether it contributed to her death.
The driver of the SUV, Cornelius Carswell, had a learner鈥檚 permit and should not have been driving the GMC Acadia by himself that April afternoon, police officer Benjamin Gardner wrote in the report obtained by | The Post-Standard.
City firefighter Connor DuPree was driving the ambulance too fast, which 鈥渆nhanced鈥� the chances for a crash, Gardner wrote.
The ambulance struck the passenger side of the SUV at about 12:30 p.m. on April 5 while both vehicles passed through the intersection of West Onondaga Street, Slocum Avenue and South Avenue.
The five firefighters inside the ambulance were taken to the hospital after the crash with non-life-threatening injuries, officials said.
No tickets were issued for the crash, which caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage to the ambulance, according to Sgt. Thomas Blake, a police spokesperson.
Carswell was heading south on Slocum Avenue at the time of the crash, according to the police report. He later told officers that the traffic light at the intersection had been green, and changed to yellow as he approached and passed it.
Carswell had also heard emergency sirens in the area, he told officers, but couldn鈥檛 tell where they were coming from.
Surveillance video showed Carswell made no attempt to slow near the intersection, Gardner said. He instead 鈥渕aintained his speed and continued straight through.鈥�
The ambulance was heading east on West Onondaga Street, Gardner said. It approached a red light at the intersection.
Technology installed on city ambulances can direct traffic lights to switch from red to green, similar to how TV remotes flip between channels. It can take several seconds for a traffic light to change. A test later showed the system was working properly.
The ambulance was going 41 mph one second before the crash, Gardner said. It slowed to 29 mph at the time of impact.
DuPree should have 鈥渆xercised further caution,鈥� Gardner said, 鈥渂y coming to a stop or a near crawl and seeing his way clear before proceeding through the intersection.鈥�
Laws vary by state on how emergency vehicles must navigate red lights. , they may only pass a red light 鈥渁fter slowing down as may be necessary for safe operation.鈥�
Capt. Phillip Vogt, a fire department spokesperson, said all firefighters must take a special driving class as part of the fire academy.
Students attending the class are taught to bring a vehicle to a complete stop at a red light, then slowly enter the intersection once they can account for all lanes of traffic, according to Heather Groll, a spokesperson for the state Office of Fire Prevention and Control.
DuPree did not face any disciplinary action for the crash.
Vogt declined to comment on disciplinary matters, saying they are confidential.
The crash caused nearly $31,000 in damage to the ambulance, according to an invoice obtained by . It has remained out of service since the April crash.
A new stretcher was quoted at nearly $69,000, according to a separate invoice.
Vogt said the manufacturer recommended the stretcher be replaced since it was in a crash.
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