80-Year-Old Ambulance Driver Struck by Box Truck Driven By Fair Lawn Man

An 80-year-old Whiting Volunteer First Aid ambulance driver was struck while his vehicle was exiting the First Aid Squad building on County Route 530 near Lake Road on Saturday.

The ambulance was occupied by three volunteer squad members who were en route to an emergency call - with its lights and siren flashing - when it was struck by a large box truck traveling east on Route 530, police said.

The ambulance was driven by Albert Stover of Whiting. The crew members who were passengers in the ambulance were 56-year-old Bryan Platt, pf New Egypt; and 73-year-old John Valdora of Whiting. The box truck was registered to Optimum Moving LLC out of Elmwood Park, police said.

The truck was driven by by 20-year-old David Pinuel of Fair Lawn. There were two other occupants in the box truck at the time of the crash; neither the driver or the occupants of the box truck reported any injuries at the scene.

Afer the 11:00 a.m. crash, Stover and Valdora were transported to Community Medical Center in Toms River by Quality Medical Transport for complaints of pain.

The rear-seat crew member, Platt, complained of right arm pain but refused medical attention.

This crash is under investigation by Patrolman Antonio Ellis of the Manchester Township Traffic Safety Section.