Joe Barlow, Driver of Ambulance Involved in Crash Dies

UPDATE 09/19/09:
The Johnson County EMS-911 issued the final call for EMT Joe Barlow, who away from injuries sustained in the ambulance accident that occurred on Sept. 15 on Hwy 67W. The final call was done by 911 Dispatcher Donna Talley.
You can listen to the audio here:

If you are having trouble playing the audio above, you can download it here.

UPDATE 09/18 at 4:37 p.m.: We have just learned that he driver of the ambulance Joseph R. Barlow, 55, of Mountain City has passed away while at Johnson City Medical Center. It is unclear at this time what charges, if any, will be placed against Barbara Buchanan.

UPDATE at 11:41 a.m.:

According the Johnson City Medical Center, Barbara Buchanan has been released from the hospital. A Tennessee Highway Patrol says Buchanan was driving the car that crossed the center lane and hit the ambulance causing the crash.

This morning, the THP said no charges have been filed in the case. The investigation is on-going.

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UPDATE at 11:05 a.m.:

11 Connects reporter Josh Smith spoke today with Brandi McCoy, the daughter of crash victim Alicia McCoy. She told us her 57 year-old mother was being transported to the Johnson City Medical Center for treatment of pneumonia related to a recent influenza diagnosis. "I've lost my best friend," Brandi said. "I watched them put her in the ambulance, and that was the last time I saw her alive."

The McCoy's recently moved to Mountain City from Jackson, Tennessee. Brandi McCoy said her family plans to bury their beloved mother in Jackson later in the week.

McCoy was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident on Highway 67 near Butler. Two ambulance drivers and the driver of the car that hit the ambulance remain in the hospital today in Johnson City. 11 Connects hopes to have an update on their conditions later today.

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UPDATE at 9:55 a.m.: We now know the name of the woman killed in the ambulance crash. According to a Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesman, the victim was Alicia McCoy, 57, Mountain City. McCoy was being taken to the hospital at the time of the crash. THP Sgt. Stacey Heatherly said, while testing is underway to determine if the driver of the car, Barbara Buchanan, was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, there was no immediate indication Buchanan was impaired at the time the crash.

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UPDATE, 9:15 a.m.: James Watson, spokesperson for Johnson City Medical Center, told 11 Connects the conditions of the three injured. The driver of the car, Barbara Buchanan, is in fair condition. Rescue squad worker, Kevin Colson, is in fair condition. Ambulance driver, Joseph Barlow, is in critical condition. Barlow was ejected from the vehicle during the crash.

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Johnson Co., Tenn. -- The Tennessee Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal wreck that occurred last night in Johnson County involving a car and an ambulance.
The wreck happened on Highway 67 at mile marker 2, about a mile north of Butler in Johnson County around 10:15 last night.
11 Connects Ted Overbay was on scene until about one this morning, and the the Tennessee Highway Patrol dispatch says that it took until just before 5:00 a.m. to clean up the scene.
THP said that a Chevy Lumina crossed the center lane of Highway 67, and hit a Johnson County Rescue Squad ambulance. The hit pushed the ambulance off the road. It came back onto the road, but the ambulance's rear tire caught the edge, and flipped it over an embankment. A female patient in the ambulance died at the scene, and three others were air-lifted by Wings to JCMC.
The driver of the car that hit the ambulance is 51 year old Brenda J. Buchanan, of Elizabethton. The driver of the ambulance is 55 year old Joseph R. Barlow of Mountain City, and the other rescue squad worker in the ambulance is 32 year old Kevin Colson of Laurel Bloomery.
The name of the woman who died has not been released.
The THP said that drugs may have been a factor in the crash, so they're treating this as a criminal investigation.