Three Injured After Ambulance, Saturn Collide On Route 66

Three people, including two paramedics, sustained injuries in a serious crash involving an ambulance Sunday afternoon on a busy stretch of Washington Street.

The impact, at about 2:45 p.m., caused a occupied by two male EMTs to flip on its side at the Gulf Gas station at 708 Washington Street, across from .

The ambulance, which was not transporting passengers, was driving west on Route 66 toward Middlefield when a 2005 Saturn Ion driving east on Washington Street turned left onto Old Mill Road, cutting off the ambulance and causing a rollover.

Emergency workers had to cut through the front windshield of the ambulance to remove driver Sean Piscopiello, 26, of Newington and passenger Timothy Cormier, 27, of Manchester.

Fire personnel removed John Lewis Sr., 65, of Middletown, the male Saturn driver, who was taken to Hartford Hospital for serious injuries, according to Middletown Battalion Chief John Ricci.

“Both ambulance crew members were transported for precautionary measures only," said Ricci, to Hartford Hospital and relased.

Just after the crash, "everybody was alert and conscious. The gentleman in the car did have to be extricated,” Ricci said. “It could have been a lot worse.”

A walk signal pole that stood at Old Mill and Washington was sheared off at the base about 50 yards from the Gulf Gas station, which remained open.

A number of Middletown Police officers were directing traffic around the large crash scene and Fire and Department of Energy and Environmental Protection emergency response personnel are investigating. The cause is still unknown.

Witnesses to the collision are asked to contact Officer Doug Clark of the Traffic Unit (860) 344-3288.

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