Patient jumps from ambulance before being killed in hit-and-run crash

A hospital patient jumped from a moving ambulance before being killed in a hit-and-run crash on a US highway, police said.

Officers from New York’s Long Island named the man as Frank Ligrnetta, 51, and said he was pronounced dead at the scene following the crash on Monday evening.

He was being transferred between hospitals. Police did not disclose what treatment he was undergoing.

A spokesman said the incident happened shortly before 7pm local time, adding: “The patient, Frank Ligrnetta, exited from the rear of the ambulance while it was in motion and was struck by a dark-coloured sedan that was also travelling southbound on Nicolls Road, south of Expressway Drive South in Holtsville.”

The driver of the car involved left the scene of the collision, Suffolk County police said.

It is unclear how the patient managed to exit the moving vehicle, which also contained an attendant.

The ambulance was impounded for a safety check and detectives are investigating.