Erie paramedic flown after motorcycle crash

By STACY MILLBERG - Staff Writer - smillberg@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon

August 17, 2008 12:46 am

— GENEVA-ON-THE-LAKE — A motorcyclist was transported by medical helicopter after an accident on Lake Road near Indian Creek Campground Saturday afternoon.
Emergency personnel were dispatched to the “S” curve just west of the campground around 2 p.m. The motorcyclist, whose name has not been released, was traveling through the curve when he went left-of-center heading into the second curve and hit a pick-up truck head-on, said GOTL Fire Chief Tim Mills.
Officials on the scene said the victim is a paramedic from Erie, Pa. He was transported to Saybrook Township Park by the Saybrook Township Fire Department where a landing zone for a medical helicopter was set up. He was flown from the park to an undisclosed hospital for treatment of his injuries, Mills said.
The victim is expected to make a good recovery from the accident, but possibly sustained two broken elbows and a broken hip. He also had some swelling on his head, Mills said.
“He was talking to us and explaining how he felt, so that’s always a good sign,” he said. “My guess is he’s going to recover.”
GOTL Fire Department had a little accident of its own after officials cleaned up the accident debris. After the fluid from the vehicles was hosed off the road, the driver of GOTL’s fire engine put the engine in a ditch after attempting to pull out onto the roadway, Mills said.
“He got a little too close to the edge of the road and slid off into the ditch,” he said. “I think he was paying attention to everything that was going on. We’ve had such a wet summer and with the weight of the truck, (the soft ground) just sucked it up.”
A tow truck was called to the scene to remove the engine from the ditch. There was no damage to the truck, he said.
No further information was available Saturday night.