FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — An EMT, who was driving an ambulance, is dead after colliding head on with the driver of another car while responding to an emergency call in Forsyth County Thursday morning, troopers said.
Around 6:51 a.m., a Central EMS ambulance was going to an emergency call with both its lights and sirens on while driving east on State Route 20, a Georgia State Patrol spokesperson said in a statement. A tractor-trailer was driving west and abruptly stopped to yield to the ambulance, they said.
After the rig yielded, a green Ford Mustang that was driving too close behind the tractor-trailer veered into the center turn lane. That's when the driver collided head-on with the ambulance.
The drivers of both vehicles were rushed to North Fulton Hospital where the EMT, identified by Central EMS as 57-year-old Gina Ayres, died from her injuries. The driver of the Mustang is listed as critical at the hospital, authorities said.
“Gina was truly a dedicated EMT. She was family to us and she will be very much missed,” Liz Merrit with Central EMS’ parent company Priority on Demand explained.
Merritt said this is the ambulance service’s first line of duty death since the company began operating in 1982 in Forsyth County.
‘It’s truly a sad day for all of us. She (Gina) lived to serve her community. She was so caring,” Merritt said.
Merritt confirmed the other EMT in the ambulance with Ayres was released from the hospital by Thursday afternoon. However, she said the EMT is going to have a long road ahead as she recovers from not just the physical pain but the emotional pain of the events that took place Thursday morning.
“This is a true tragedy that has touched all of Forsyth County’s first responders. Central EMS, Forsyth County Fire and Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office work very closely together and we are all saddened by the loss of Gina," Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman said. "Her husband is a member of the FCSO family. We will be with him during his time of need and support and pray for him and their family. We ask the community to keep them in their prayers."
The ambulance did not have any patients inside when the crash happened and nobody else was hurt. The section of State Route 20 was closed for nearly two hours before reopening.
Crash site where EMT, Gina Ayres, killed in Forsyth County
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