Authorities suspect 22-year-old Hunter LeGrand was under the influence of drugs when he was involved in a hit-and-run accident moments before his SUV struck an ambulance, killing a 59-year-old dialysis patient and injuring himself and two other people. As Kentucky State Police Trooper Brad Arterburn says in the video above from WXIX-TV FOX19, Gallatin County had received a reckless driving complaint that LeGrand had struck a telephone pole and left the scene before colliding with the ambulance. The 21-year-old driver of the ambulance told rescue crews that SUV was "weaving all over the road" on State Route 127.
"He said that he got as far over as he could and tried to stop before the driver of the SUV hit him," Arterburn told FOX19. "He said he could see him cross the center line and saw it coming."
The dialysis patient was in the back of the ambulance with a 25-year-old EMT at the time of the accident. All four of the men involved were taken to University Hospital. FOX19 said it took nearly a half-hour to cut LeGrand out of the wreckage and charges against him are pending.
Among the many things we can learn from an accident like this, one of the most important lessons has to be patients like the deceased in this case that are often inside the emergency vehicles on our roads. The people inside ambulances are already involved in very sensitive situations, and this is why all motorists are required to get out of the way for these vehicles.
This accident also once again demonstrates the tremendous risk individuals place every other motorist in when they operate a vehicle while under the influence of drugs. We have additional information about car and truck accidents on our website, and if you or a loved one has sustained injuries in an accident caused by an intoxicated driver, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. You can either use the form on this page to tell us a little bit about your case or contact our firm to schedule a free consultation.
If you have been injured or have lost a loved one as a result of another person's negligence, you deserve to be fully compensated for your losses. The simple fact is that you should not be forced to pay the price for another person's careless or reckless actions.