36-Year-Old Patient Dies After Ambulance Crash in Sterling Heights

An ambulance carrying a critical patient was involved in a fatal crash in Sterling Heights on Sunday, Oct. 25. The incident occurred at the intersection of Van Dyke Avenue and Metropolitan Parkway, where emergency crews responded to a scene that left one person unconscious and several others injured.

Police investigations indicate that an Aspire Health System ambulance was traveling south on Van Dyke Avenue with its emergency equipment activated. As the vehicle proceeded through the intersection, a black 2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee struck the right side of the ambulance's passenger compartment. The impact caused the ambulance, which contained a two-person crew and a patient, to roll over before settling back onto its wheels.

The patient, a 36-year-old man from North Branch, was transported to a local hospital where he later died. The rear crew member of the ambulance sustained moderate injuries and was also hospitalized for treatment. All individuals involved in the collision, with the exception of the ambulance driver, were taken to area hospitals.

The driver of the Jeep was transported to a hospital with injuries that medical professionals did not consider life-threatening. Sterling Heights police stated that intoxication does not appear to be a factor in the crash. The incident remains under investigation by the Traffic Safety Bureau.

Local authorities are asking witnesses to contact Officer Porter at 586-446-2920. The crash highlights the risks faced by emergency vehicles operating with lights and sirens in high-traffic urban corridors. The Jeep driver and the ambulance crew were the only other occupants in the vehicles at the time of the collision.