An Arizona man was killed last month when he was struck by an ambulance in Washington state. Tragically, the fatal pedestrian accident occurred in the minutes after the man had been involved in a single-car accident, during which he appeared to have suffered no injuries.

According to police reports, the incident began during the afternoon rush hour as the 24-year-old man was traveling on a road that runs above and parallel to a state highway. Suddenly, the man's pickup truck failed to stop at a stop sign. The vehicle veered to the side of the road, drove through a guardrail and collided with several trees along the road before rolling down the hill between the road and the state highway.

Despite the magnitude of the crash, the man seemed to have suffered no serious injuries. Following the accident, he got out of his vehicle and walked toward the state highway and onto the road. An ambulance traveling in the southbound lane was apparently unable to stop in time and crashed into the man. The man suffered fatal injuries, and was declared dead at the scene.

The 74-year-old driver of the ambulance was reportedly not injured. He did not receive a criminal citation, although the accident remains under investigation. The ambulance is owned and operated by a private company.

The man killed in the pedestrian crash was from Sierra Vista, Arizona, which is approximately 220 miles southeast of Maricopa County. It is not yet known why his truck suddenly veered into the guardrail, or whether he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash.

Source: Peninsula Daily News, "Man wrecks car, then is struck, killed by ambulance while stepping onto roadway," Nov. 22, 2011