A semi-truck and an ambulance were involved in a crash at the intersection of U.S. Route 68 and State Route 296 North of Urbana early Tuesday morning.
According to the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched to the intersection at approximately 4 a.m. on June 23.
The preliminary investigation found that a Freightliner semi-truck operated by 45-year-old Abdulkadir Hamud Amin of Columbus was stopped at the stop sign on State Route 296 and attempting to turn left onto southbound U.S. 68.
As Amin entered the intersection, investigators say he failed to yield the right-of-way to a southbound ambulance traveling on U.S. 68. To avoid a direct collision, the ambulance driver applied the brakes and traveled off the right side of the roadway. During the maneuver, the ambulance sideswiped the semi before both vehicles came to rest along the west side of the highway.
The sheriff’s office reported that the ambulance initially left the area because the driver believed there had been no contact between the vehicles. However, the semi remained at the scene after the driver noticed damage to one of the truck’s mirrors.
A passenger in the semi, 35-year-old Abdikadar Haji of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, was not injured. Another occupant in the ambulance also escaped injury.
No injuries were reported by any of the individuals involved in the crash.
Amin was cited for failure to yield while turning left. The crash is still under investigation.
