Three crashes involving St John vehicles in last six weeks

A Hato Hone St John officer suffered injuries after a crash between a car and an ambulance yesterday near New Plymouth. Photo / Supplied

Three Hato Hone St John vehicles have been involved in separate crashes across the country in the last six weeks.

In August, a St John health shuttle was involved in a two-vehicle crash on State Highway 1 near Burnham, south of Christchurch.

"Six ambulances, four clinical managers, one rapid response vehicle and one helicopter responded to the scene and treated seven patients who have all been transported to hospital; two in critical conditions, three in serious conditions and two in moderate conditions," Hato Hone St John deputy chief executive - community health and engagement Sarah Manley said.

The St John Health Shuttle is a koha-based community service that transports people to health-related visits and then brings them home again.

A crash near Cambridge last week led to the death of a Hato Hone St John ambulance officer, Susan Cutler, and another motorist.

Two people died in Cambridge last week following a collision between a car and an ambulance. Photo / Caitlan Johnston.

Cutler had served St John for 55 years and at the time of her death was a patient transfer officer.

Hato Hone St John deputy chief executive ambulance operations Dan Ohs said in a statement that they were grieving one of their own.

"They are one of a very small number of ambulance officers to lose their life in the line of duty in New Zealand in the last 80 years," said Ohs.

"The safety and wellbeing of our people is of the utmost importance, and we continue to provide welfare support to those impacted by the recent separate incidents involving Hato Hone St John vehicles, as well as to their whānau," Ohs told the Herald.

Yesterday, an off-duty St John ambulance, containing no passengers, collided with another vehicle at a "problem" intersection in Taranaki, near New Plymouth.

A Hato Hone St John officer suffered injuries after a crash between a car and an ambulance yesterday near New Plymouth. Photo / Supplied

Hato Hone St John confirmed to the Herald an ambulance officer was injured in the crash and they were assisting police in their ongoing investigation.

St John said all their vehicles have real-time monitoring of driving using EROAD, and they have reviewed this information for the first two incidents, and passed that on to police.

"Our analysis was that our drivers were obeying all traffic regulations and all St John policies. We are still in the process of reviewing the data from the one that happened in Taranaki yesterday," Ohs said.

"We would like to emphasise and reassure the community that incidents involving our vehicles are rare – particularly those resulting in death or injury, and that all the recent crashes transpired under completely different circumstances."