Patient who exited moving ambulance dies on Florida interstate; paramedic injured

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — A 70-year-old man died when he exited a moving ambulance on a Florida interstate and was hit by several vehicles on Tuesday, authorities said.

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According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the ambulance was traveling south on Interstate 95 in Port St. Lucie at about 9 p.m. EDT when the patient, a Jacksonville resident, exited the rear doors of the vehicle, TCPalm.com reported.

The man fell onto the highway and was struck by multiple vehicles, including a 2023 Kia sedan and a 2020 Volvo tractor, according to the news outlet.

The ambulance driver, a 38-year-old woman from Orange Park, stopped on the southbound outside shoulder of I-95, TCPalm.com reported.

According to a news release from Lt. Indiana Miranda of the FHP, the man was pronounced dead at the scene, WPTV reported.

A 29-year-old paramedic who tried to stop the man “also fell onto the roadway,” Miranda said.

The paramedic was taken to HCA Florida Lawnwood Medical Hospital in Fort Pierce with life-threatening injuries, according to TCPalm.com.

The ambulance did not belong to the St. Lucie County Fire District, Brenda Smith, a fire district spokesperson, told the news outlet. Officials did not know the ambulance’s destination.

The identities of the man, the paramedic and the ambulance driver have not been released. An investigation is ongoing.