Ambulance fatally hits driver stalled on side of I-84 with flat tire

A woman attempting to change a flat tire in the Columbia River Gorge was hit and killed by an AMR ambulance in the early morning hours Thursday, July 18.

Oregon State Police responded to the fatal two-vehicle crash at 12:45 a.m. on Interstate 84, near milepost 54, in Hood River County, near Starvation Creek State Park. An investigation learned a westbound Ford Econoline AMR Ambulance, driven by 42-year-old Amanda Hancock, of Benton City, Washington, left the lane and struck a Chevrolet Camaro that was disabled on the side of the highway with a flat.

The driver of the Chevy, 55-year-old Geraldean Edna Martin, of Portland, was outside of the vehicle at the time of the collision. She was declared dead at the scene.

The ambulance driver, Hancock, and its passengers, 28-year-old Amy Ann Young, of Pasco, Washington, and 23-year-old Jonathan David Farmer, of Pendleton, were not injured during the collision. Farmer was a patient in the ambulance at the time of the crash.

The highway was closed for about four hours during the investigation. The cause of the crash is still under investigation. No charges have been filed at this time. Both Hood River County Sheriff’s Office and the Oregon Department of Transportation assisted at the scene.