Terrifying moment ambulance driver narrowly misses car flipping across highway in Massachusetts
A Massachusetts ambulance driver narrowly avoided an overturning car while carrying a patient across a snowy road, in a shocking moment captured on dashcam video.
On February 13, paramedic Tim Crosbie transported a patient along Interstate 95 in Peabody, about 20 miles from Boston.
Suddenly, a white sedan driven by a teenager came barreling down the highway at breakneck speed.
“It obviously happened quickly, but it felt very slow,” Crosbie told CNN.
“And that’s what my partner and I said on the way back from the phone call we had: it seemed like it was happening in slow motion.”
Massachusetts ambulance driver Tim Crosbie narrowly avoided a rollover car while transporting a patient along Interstate 95 in Peabody. When a white sedan came rolling down the highway, Scobie was forced to quickly turn right to avoid it.
After checking that his partner and their original patient were okay, Scobie tended to the 17-year-old driver until help arrived.
The driver had crossed the median and crossed into the southbound lanes, nearly colliding with the ambulance on an otherwise empty highway.
Speaking to FOX Weather, Crosbie said: ‘I had to decide in a split second which way to go, left or right.
‘And obviously I made the right decision to turn right and avoid the car. Not much,” he added.
After checking that his partner and the patient in the back were okay, Crosbie moved the ambulance to avoid another accident.
He was surprised to find that he had easy access to the overturned vehicle and found that the driver, a 17-year-old boy, was alert and responsive.
“The person in the car was awake and talking to me, and actually had no visible injuries. And we were able to get him out of the car easily,” Scobie recalls.
He added that the boy was doing “very well.”
After a backup team arrived to care for the teen, Crosbie’s partner, Tim Wareham, carried their original patient back to Boston.
Scobie’s employer, Cataldo Ambulance Services, praised his ability to remain calm under pressure and adhere to safety standards
“Obviously I made the right decision to turn right and avoid the car. Not much,” Scobie said
Cataldo Ambulance Services posted a message on Facebook praising their employee’s quick thinking and ability to remain calm under pressure.
“This week, paramedic Tim Crosbie’s safe driving skills have been on display around the world,” Cataldo wrote.
“Tim’s great work was a good reminder to slow down, be careful when road conditions are not optimal, pay attention to your surroundings and always wear your seat belt.”
Aside from the less than ideal weather, which was “a little bit wet and a little bit rainy,” Scobie said it was “basically a routine transfer to Boston.”
He noted that visibility on the highway was poor despite no significant rainfall.
Tuesday’s near miss came as a winter storm moved through Massachusetts, bringing several inches to other parts of the state.
Several weather-related accidents were reported as the snow fell.
A driver was sent to hospital with serious injuries after an early morning collision on Route 2 in Westminster.
A bus crash occurred on the Massachusetts Turnpike around 12:45 p.m.
Ultimately, a 20-year-old man was flown to UMass Memorial in Worcester after another driver rear-ended the dump truck he was riding in as it plowed down the street.