Columbia ambulance crash triggers competing lawsuits. Here's what to know

A 2024 collision between a Richland County ambulance and a Lyft in downtown Columbia has sparked competing lawsuits, with the driver, her passenger and the county all pointing fingers.

FULL STORY: Who’s to blame? Ambulance-Lyft crash in downtown Columbia sparks dueling lawsuits

Here are key takeaways:

• The crash happened in early July 2024, when Lyft driver Celena Bradford drove through a green light at Elmwood Avenue and Main Street as ambulance driver Brenda Addison went through a red light at the same intersection.
• Bradford says the ambulance failed to stop at the red light and “suddenly struck [her] vehicle with great force and violence,” and she is suing Richland County.
• Richland County contends Addison cleared the intersection properly and acted “appropriately and reasonably” as an emergency medical technician, blaming Bradford for the collision.
• Passenger Robin Roache is suing both the county and Bradford, saying both drivers failed to keep a proper lookout, drive at a safe speed and slow or stop for traffic.
• Court filings do not say whether the ambulance had its lights and sirens activated, and a past news report said the ambulance was not carrying a patient. Roache’s suit is set for a jury trial in September; Bradford filed her lawsuit July 2.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.