An ambulance, a bus carrying special needs students, and a pickup truck were involved in a crash at an intersection in southwest Ocala on Tuesday morning.
Shortly before 9 a.m., Marion County Fire Rescue units were dispatched to the intersection of SW 90th Street and SW 80th Avenue in Ocala. Multiple 911 callers had reported that an ambulance was struck and had rolled onto its side, according to MCFR.
The first MCFR unit quickly arrived on scene since the accident had occurred near Friendship Fire Station #21. Firefighters sprang into action and immediately began triaging the occupants of the three vehicles.
A total of 15 patients were transported to local hospitals, including two firefighters who sustained minor injuries, 11 special needs students that were riding the bus, the bus driver, and the driver of the pickup truck, according to MCFR.
MCFR stated that eight of the students were transported to the hospital as a precaution, and the remaining three students sustained minor injuries in the crash.
No further details were provided regarding the extent of the injuries sustained by the drivers of the bus and pickup truck.
The Florida Highway Patrol is currently investigating the accident.
In a social media post, Marion County Fire Rescue stated, “[We] would like to remind our citizens to yield to emergency vehicles as our lights and sirens are on.”