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A 55-year-old paramedic suffered serious injuries early this morning when his ambulance — with lights and siren on — was broadsided by an alleged drunken driver while transporting a patient to a hospital, according to Dean Nakano, chief of the city’s Emergency Services Department.
The collision occurred around 2 a.m. today near the intersection of Vineyard Boulevard and Punchbowl Street, which is near The Queen’s Medical Center.
The injured paramedic is a 17-year EMS veteran who was in the back of the ambulance with the patient, Nakano said. He is expected to make a full recovery.
Neither the patient nor the emergency medical technician who was driving the ambulance was injured.
The damaged ambulance had to be taken out of service and replaced by a backup vehicle.
“We are very thankful that there was no loss of life,” Nakano said in a statement. “Our personnel, like all first responders, risk their lives every day to provide the highest level of pre-hospital care to the residents and visitors here in Honolulu.”
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