Oregon woman with flat tire hit by ambulance on interstate, dies

An woman whose tire went flat on an Oregon highway died when she was hit by a passing ambulance, according to authorities.

The incident happened around 12:45 a.m. on Thursday in Hood River County, about 76 miles east of Portland, Oregon State Police said in a news release.

Someone called the police about a two-vehicle crash.

According to state police, a 42-year-old woman was driving westbound in a Ford Econoline AMR Ambulance when the ambulance swerved into another lane and hit a Chevrolet Camaro that was disabled on the side of the road with a flat tire.

Geraldean Edna Martin, 55, was outside of the vehicle when the ambulance hit her, police said. She died at the scene.

The woman who was driving the ambulance had two people in the ambulance with her: a 28-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man.

The ambulance driver and passengers suffered no injuries during the crash, state police said..

The Hood River County Sheriff's Office and the Oregon Department of Transportation also responded to the scene.

Highway operations were impacted for four hours after the crash and authorities said they are still investigating to find out what caused the crash.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at@SaleenMartin or email her atsdmartin@usatoday.com.