MAVAC Ambulance Damaged After Collision With Farm Equipment

An ambulance operated by the Marathon Area Volunteer Ambulance Corps suffered significant damage Saturday evening when it was sideswiped by farm equipment on McGraw-Marathon Road in the Town of Freetown, wbng.com reported. MAVAC Chief John Tillotson detailed the collision in a public statement, noting that the incident occurred on Oct. 10 at approximately 7:20 p.m. while an on-duty crew traveled north in non-emergency mode.

Collision on McGraw-Marathon Road

The on-duty crew encountered a large, dual-wheeled farm tractor towing oversized equipment travelling in the opposite direction. As the machinery passed, it sideswiped the driver’s side of the ambulance, destroying the mirror, damaging the door, and striking the ambulance box. The impact forced the vehicle sharply to the right, where it hit a bridge’s box-beam guardrail and sustained additional damage to the passenger side. According to MAVAC, the tractor operator continued south without stopping, apparently unaware that a collision had taken place.

Forward- and rear-facing camera footage reviewed by MAVAC showed that the crew took every possible evasive action. The uninjured crew members moved the vehicle to the shoulder, alerted fire control to dispatch law enforcement, and requested a replacement crew. Off-duty personnel deployed a second vehicle to handle the original EMS call. Marathon Fire Chiefs Larri Leet and Matt Mauser responded to the scene alongside the Cortland County Sheriff’s Department. Chief Leet subsequently identified the farm associated with the tractor, and the farm owner confirmed the collision.

Impact on Cortland County EMS Operations

Ron’s Auto Body is currently inspecting the wreckage to determine repair timelines. With only one ambulance left in service, MAVAC suspended hospital-to-hospital transfers indefinitely. Mutual aid agencies will cover new emergency calls if the primary vehicle is already deployed, with local crew members responding in a separate EMS vehicle to begin patient care.

The organization is accelerating plans to expand its fleet amid rising annual call volumes. Northeast Rescue Vehicles in Syracuse agreed to expedite delivery of a third ambulance, targeting a service entry within 30 to 40 days.