8-year-old girl seriously injured after ambulance collides with van in Washington County

HURRICANE, Washington County — Several people were injured after an ambulance and a van collided Saturday on state Route 9 near 3400 West.

An ambulance from Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., was transporting a stroke victim to Dixie Regional Hospital in St. George just before 8 p.m. when it struck a van turning left at a green light, police said.

The ambulance, which had its siren and emergency lights on, also had five crew members and the patient's wife on board.

The van was carrying two adults and two children and was struck on its side by the ambulance, which was traveling at approximately 60 mph.

An 8-year-old girl sitting behind the van's driver took the brunt of the collision and was not breathing at the scene, officials said. The girl was transported to an area hospital where her airway was opened before she was transferred to a hospital in Las Vegas.

The stroke victim received a head injury, and one of the ambulance crew members suffered a broken arm, police said. Other passengers sustained minor injuries.

— Benjamin Wood