Ambulance crash victims identified

EARLY CO., GA (WALB) - GSP troopers say a Miller County ambulance was traveling northbound on Highway 45 headed to Miller County hospital when the driver tried to pass a fertilizer spreader, which was going north.

The spreader was making a left and collided with the ambulance.  Officials say the patient that was being transported, 84-year-old Leila Duvall died.  She was being taken to the hospital for flu-like symptoms.

"The ambulance got in the northbound lane to pass the farm equipment as it entered into the northbound lane to pass the tractor, the farmer decided to make a left turn," said GSP Investigator John Vanlandingham.

That's when the two collided, the ambulance traveling off to the east side of the road and overturning while the piece of farm equipment stayed where it was struck.  The paramedics and the farm worker were okay, but Duvall was not.

"The patient was fine initially but upon impact and with the overturning of the ambulance was tossed around in the back of the ambulance," said Vanlandingham.

She died on the scene as a result of those injuries.

"That's when they assessed her after the crash and determined that she had passed away because of the accident, as a result of the impact and the overturning of the ambulance," said Vanlandingham.

The driver of the ambulance, 26 year old Adam Brackin, was taken to the hospital for minor injuries, and the driver of the fertilizer spreader, 35 year old Eric Jenkins, stayed on the scene with investigators. Jenkins was not injured. 27 year old Amanda Higginbotham, an EMT in the back of the ambulance, was also not hurt. Officials say it isn't clear who is at fault for the accident.

"We haven't determined who was at fault but we do have SCRT on the scene and they will be doing a more in depth investigation to determine who was at fault."

Investigators spent hours scouring the scene, looking for anything that could help them to determine just who was at fault for the collision that claimed one life.

The Georgia State Patrol Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team is investigating the crash.

Copyright 2013 WALB.  All rights reserved.