13 hurt as ambulance collides with minivan

A Nassau County police ambulance collided with a minivan shortly after 7 p.m. in East Meadow Sunday, authorities said. No serious injuries resulted, said a hospital spokeswoman.

A 22-year-old Hicksville man who identified himself only by his first name, Nani, was at a Getty gas station near the site of the crash when it happened.

"It was a loud sound, a huge sound," Nani said of the collision. "Just like, 'bam!' "

Nani said the ambulance was headed west on Front Street with its siren on when a red minivan headed east on Front attempted a left turn on East Meadow Avenue.

He said police at the scene, the ambulance driver and the driver's partner could not open the doors to the minivan. A crew from a nearby East Meadow Fire Department station less than a block away used a saw to take the doors off.

Police late Sunday had few details to release and were unable to say whether the ambulance was carrying a patient.

Nassau University Medical Center spokeswoman Shelley Lotenberg said 13 people came to the hospital following the crash. They included 10 children and two adults from the van, plus one medic, she said.

"They are being evaluated for non-life-threatening injuries," Lotenberg said. "Most, if not all, will be treated and released."