Gurnee driver cited in collision with ambulance
An 85-year-old woman remains hospitalized today in the intensive care unit after an ambulance she was riding in was struck by a car in Gurnee, authorities said.
The driver of the car, Aaron Swire, 20, of Gurnee, was cited for failure to yield to an authorized emergency vehicle, police said.
He told officers he had the green light at routes 132 and 21 and did not hear the ambulance's sirens or see its flashing lights just before the crash about 6 p.m. Thursday night, police said.
But several witnesses told police the Superior ambulance had switched on its lights and sirens while heading east on Route 132 at the intersection, police said.
The car hit the passenger side of the ambulance carrying the 85-year-old patient, one of her family members and two paramedics. The collision caused the car to burst into flames and the ambulance to roll on its side, fire officials said.
The patient was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where police said she remained in stable condition. No one else was injured.