Three Die in Ambulance and Truck Collision Near Confederation Bridge

Three people died Tuesday morning when an Island EMS ambulance collided with a transport truck near the Confederation Bridge in New Brunswick. Cbc reported that the crash happened just after 9 a.m. about 12 km southwest of the bridge near Port Elgin.

The ambulance was driven by Mike MacKenzie, a 56-year-old paramedic from Warren Grove, P.E.I. , who was a paramedic in the ambulance, and a 77-year-old woman from Montague, P.E.I. The driver of the transport truck was taken to hospital with what police described as non-life-threatening injuries.

Cpl. Luc Picard of the Codiac Regional RCMP said an investigation is ongoing and that coroners and an RCMP reconstructionist attended the scene. Cbc reported that the 77-year-old woman's name has not been confirmed and that the family of the 23-year-old woman requested she not be named.

Tim Jenkins, interim chief of the Charlottetown Fire Department, described MacKenzie as a close friend who loved helping others. "In emergency services, we see a lot of tragedy and a lot of death, but when it's one of your own, I can tell you this one hits completely differently than others," Jenkins said.

He added that MacKenzie spoke often about paramedicine and was one reason his daughter became a paramedic.

Chris Hood, executive director of the Paramedic Association of New Brunswick, said hundreds of paramedics from that province have volunteered to backfill shifts at Island EMS. "They want to help their brothers and sisters in the Island take the time they need and grieve the way they need to grieve and be there to support them," Hood said.

Island EMS issued a statement thanking EMS teams in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia for immediate support.