ELY — An Ely Area Ambulance Service crew escaped serious injury early last week after striking a moose on Hwy. 169 west of Ely while transporting a patient to Duluth.
The incident occurred at approximately 12:40 a.m. as the ambulance departed Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital and headed south toward St. Mary’s Hospital. About four miles west of Ely, a cow moose was standing in the westbound lane. The driver spotted the animal and braked hard, warning the crew in the back to hold on, but was unable to stop in time.
The ambulance struck the moose at around 45 mph, sending the animal into the windshield. The impact also triggered the steering wheel airbag, momentarily blinding the driver. The vehicle left the road and descended six feet into a ditch.
The driver, who has more than 25 years of experience and is a certified Emergency Vehicle Operations Course trainer, managed to keep the ambulance from rolling over during the drop.
Ely Police Department, St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota State Patrol, Morse Fire and First Responders, and additional Ely Area Ambulance personnel all responded to the scene. Emergency crews extracted the patient on a backboard from the ditch and transferred them to a second ambulance, which transported the patient and the original crew to Ely-Bloomenson for evaluation.
At this time, no serious injuries have been reported among the patient or crew.