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Tenn. ambulance hits stopped truck, off-duty firefighter killed

Editor’s note: The news video below contains reports that a veteran firefighter was driving the ambulance that crashed and did not survive the collision.

The Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Two people have been killed after an ambulance ran into the back of a state work truck stopped in the emergency lane on a Nashville highway.

Police said the ambulance was on a non-emergency trip to return a woman to her nursing home after a dialysis appointment Thursday afternoon.

The ambulance ran into the back of Tennessee Department of Transportation truck, killing the ambulance driver and patient. An off-duty firefighter tending to the patient was seriously injured. The truck driver suffered minor injuries.

Police were investigating why the ambulance was in the emergency lane. The highway work truck was painted fluorescent green and equipped with multiple flashing lights, though it wasn’t known if they were on.

The ambulance was operated by Rural/Metro, a private company that serves Middle Tennessee counties.