A Central Florida man was arrested after he fled from a crash with an ambulance.
An ambulance transporting a patient was recently involved in a crash and the other driver involved drove away from the scene. The crash occurred at around 9:00am on Harden Boulevard in Lakeland, near the intersection of Ariana Street.
The ambulance was traveling north on Harden Boulevard, not in emergency mode, when a southbound white VW Jetta conducted a U-turn in front of the ambulance. After completing the U-turn, the Jetta entered the lane occupied by the ambulance and the vehicles collided, according to local law enforcement. The Jetta did not stop following the crash, and it left the scene.
A paramedic who was riding in the back of the ambulance was transported to the hospital with a minor neck injury.
Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office went to the residence where the VW Jetta was registered. The owner of the car said that her nephew had been driving the car.
41-year-old Gregory McManus was asleep on the couch, according to local law enforcement. When deputies awakened him, he admitted that he had been involved in the crash, but claimed it was the ambulance driver’s fault.
Video from the ambulance clearly showed that McManus had caused the crash, according to PCSO. He was arrested and taken to the Sheriff’s Processing Center.
“Gregory McManus not only caused the crash, he fled from the scene without checking on anybody, and then had the audacity to claim the other driver was at fault,” said Sheriff Grady Judd. “He was vulgar and rude to the deputy and had to be removed from the patrol car after he refused to get out of it. I doubt there is a responsible bone in his body.”
According to local law enforcement, Gregory McManus was charged with Leaving the Scene of a Crash with Injury and Resisting without Violence.
