5 hurt in crash on Alta. highway with ambulance

A STARS Air Ambulance is seen in this undated file photo.

Five people were injured in a crash between a civilian vehicle and an ambulance west of Edmonton on Monday.

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RCMP believe the driver of a southbound SUV on Range Road 273 collided with the eastbound ambulance around 4:50 p.m. after failing to stop before crossing Highway 627.

The driver and a passenger from the SUV were flown by STARS to the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton.

Three EMS personnel on board the ambulance were taken by other ambulances to local hospitals.

Although Mounties initially said on Tuesday that the ambulance had both its emergency lights and sirens on at the time of the crash, they later issued a correction stating that was not the case.

“The ambulance was in fact not responding to a call for service and did not have its lights and sirens activated. We apologize for this error,” a spokesperson said.

The area was closed for about four hours after the crash.