SMITHFIELD – A motorist who collided with a Duke Life Flight ambulance has been charged by Smithfield Police with causing the rear-end collision. Police said the accident occurred at 12:30pm Tuesday on Highway 70 Business West about 30 feet from the intersection of M. Durwood Stephenson Parkway.
According to an accident report, a Duke Life Flight ground ambulance was traveling eastbound on Highway 70 in the right lane and was slowing to make a right turn when it was struck from behind by a 1996 Chevy truck driven by Michael Kevin Mozingo of Micro. Mozingo told police he believed he “dozed off” causing the accident.
Police estimated the Chevy truck was traveling at 50mph and the ambulance 10mph at the time of the collision. The speed limit for Highway 70 in the area is 45mph.
Mozingo was transported by Johnston County EMS to Johnston Medical Center in Smithfield for treatment of minor injuries. He was later cited by Officer C.E. VanHalen with failure to reduce speed.
The driver of the 2015 Kenworth ambulance, Brian Kent Clary of Durham, and two passengers, both EMS workers, were not injured. There were no patients on board.
Damage to the ambulance was estimated at $10,000. The Chevy truck sustained $10,000 in damages, according to the collision report.
The Smithfield Fire Department responded to the scene to assist.
