Rollover sends paramedics to hospital

Two paramedics and a patient were injured when the ambulance they were riding in rolled over on U.S. Highway 2 Friday morning.

At approximately 10:15 a.m. Friday, the Bayfield County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call reporting an accident with injuries on Highway 2 near West Long Lake Road in the town of Iron River, according to a news release from Lt. Dan Clark of the Bayfield County Sheriff’s Department. A Beacon Ambulance transporting a patient from Grand View Hospital near Ironwood, Mich., to Saint Mary’s Hospital in Duluth had gone out of control on the slippery highway and rolled over. The ambulance was operated by paramedic Joseph Jacobson, 41, of Bessemer, Mich. A 66-year-old patient was being tended by paramedic Alicia Pertlula, 25, also of Bessemer, Mich.

The westbound ambulance went out of control on a hill and spun into the east bound lane. The driver was able to regain control briefly before the vehicle slid back across the roadway and rolled over in the west bound ditch.

The paramedics were transported to Saint Luke’s Hospital by the Iron River Ambulance with a Gold Cross intercept. The patient was transported to the Iron River Airport and flown to Saint Luke’s in Duluth by the Life Link Helicopter. Also responding to the accident was the Iron River Fire Department, the Ashland Fire Department Ambulance and Bayfield County Sheriff’s Deputies.

Tags: news, auto, superior, bayfield, michigan, paramedic, accident