Tragedy struck Tufts Medical Center in Boston over the weekend when a 2-year-old girl was bumped by an ambulance just outside the hospital's emergency department. The toddler was quickly rushed to the health facility, but all efforts to revive her failed.
Routine Afternoon Turns Into Gut-Wrenching Incident
Little Isabella Wu was walking home with her mother and sister to their apartment on Nassau Street when the accident occurred Saturday afternoon. Isabella was hit by an ambulance just a few steps from the apartment's entrance. Raymond Pereyra, the family's neighbor, immediately stepped outside after hearing someone sobbing in the street.
"I came down through the lobby and saw mom on the floor in the pavement just crying in agony," Pereyra shared to My Fox Boston. "She was just crying rolling in agony on the pavement, and there was blood near her."
Mei Lee, another neighbor, said the family moved to Chinatown in 2015. Isabella and her older sister spend most of their time at a nearby playground.
"It's so sad. "I can't believe it," Lee lamented upon hearing the sad news. "They're friendly. They like to come here every day."
Police Investigation Still Going On
The ambulance that hit Isabella was from a New England-based ambulance services company called EasCare. The company's official website boasts it's one of the largest of its kind in the region.
"Everyone at EasCare is deeply saddened by the incident that occurred earlier today," said Tim Coolen, the company's chief executive. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim. EasCare will continue [to] co-operate fully with the investigation in an open and transparent manner."
Rachel McGuire, a spokesperson for the Boston police, declined to comment on how fast the ambulance was going when it hit Isabella. The officer told Boston Globe that the information would only be revealed if it proved to be a factor in the accident.
No charges had been filed against the ambulance driver just yet, but authorities say they aren't ruling out any possibilities. According to eyewitness accounts, the vehicle was beyond the hospital's ambulance bay when the accident occurred.
