Hospital patient steals ambulance and crashes in river, WV cops say. Body later found
A hospital patient died after she stole an ambulance and crashed into a West Virginia river, police told news outlets.
The patient was in the emergency room at Charleston Area Medical Center General Hospital before officers said she took the emergency vehicle on Thanksgiving morning, according to the Charleston Gazette-Mail.
At about 12:30 a.m., the woman reportedly fought with law enforcement officials then drove off in the ambulance, causing damage to street signs. She later went over an embankment and plunged into the Kanawha River, the Charleston Police Department told news outlets.
Crews searched the water before a body was found in a submerged ambulance at about 10 a.m., WOWK reported.
The woman was identified as Elizabeth Reed of Hinton, located roughly 90 miles southeast of Charleston. News outlets didn’t list an age for Reed.
Officials continue to investigate the crash, which happened off Chesapeake Avenue on Thursday, Nov. 24. The incident involved an ambulance from the Cedar Grove Volunteer Fire Department, police told WCHS.
The Charleston Police Department didn’t immediately share additional information with McClatchy News on Nov. 25.
This story was originally published November 25, 2022 at 11:56 AM with the headline "Hospital patient steals ambulance and crashes in river, WV cops say. Body later found."
