Point Roberts fire district ambulance wrecks near Peace Arch border

A Point Roberts fire district ambulance was involved in a collision near the Peace Arch border crossing at roughly 3 a.m. on October 11 while transporting a Point Roberts resident to the hospital, fire chief Christopher Carleton confirmed to The Northern Light.

The accident occurred on the Canadian side of the Peace Arch border on Beach Road and Highway 99 when a vehicle pulled out in front of the fire district ambulance, Carleton said, resulting in the collision.

The collision caused injuries for multiple fire district staff; the attending EMT in the back of the ambulance was admitted to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center later in the morning for back pain. The ambulance driver suffered injuries to their hand and lower back, but was not taken to the hospital for treatment. Carleton said the injuries were reported to the state Volunteer Firefighters Board.

The patient being transported suffered injuries in the collision, though details were not provided on the extent of those injuries. The patient was taken to the hospital by a Ferndale fire district ambulance, and the Point Roberts attending EMT was driven to the hospital via car after the incident, Carleton said.

The ambulance was driving from Point Roberts to cross the Peace Arch border in Blaine before transferring the patient onto a separate ambulance to travel the remainder of the way to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham, Carleton said.

Damage to the Point Roberts ambulance was extensive, with the front right wheel and its assembly completely destroyed. Carleton said he assumed the vehicle would be declared totaled, but couldn’t immediately confirm its status.

Carleton said the vehicle is insured through the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, and said the fire district is working with the corporation on a claim, but could not provide an exact timeline for when a replacement could be initiated.

Carleton said the vehicle was the only modern ambulance the fire district had in its fleet, and will now use one of its older ambulances to serve Point Roberts in the meantime.