A vehicle struck three nurses, critically injuring one, while fleeing from a hospital after dropping off a gunshot victim, authorities confirmed on Saturday. The incident occurred early in the morning outside Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Philadelphia.
The gunshot victim, a 28-year-old man, had arrived at the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds and may have also suffered a head injury during the hit-and-run, police said.
According to police reports, a silver Jeep Cherokee left the man in the hospital’s ambulance bay at around 4.30 am and sped off, hitting three male nurses who were trying to treat the patient. One of the nurses, aged 36, was left in critical condition with facial injuries and internal bleeding. A 37-year-old nurse and a 51-year-old nurse, who sustained head and back injuries, were reported to be in stable condition.
Penn Medicine told WCAU-TV that the incident was “devastating,” but despite the turmoil, hospital staff continued to provide care. “Our staff continued working to save the gunshot victim and care for all our other patients even as their own colleagues were suffering and being treated,” the hospital said, as quoted by the Associated Press.
Philadelphia police are currently investigating both the hit-and-run and the earlier shooting that led to the victim’s arrival at the trauma centre.
Philadelphia City council member Jamie Gauthier expressed his shock at the incident, praising the hospital staff for their bravery. “It is unfathomable to me that someone would drive their car into our neighbours charged with healing,” Gauthier said in a statement.
The hospital, which housed the city’s only Level One trauma centre, provided support for the victims and their families.
