Real Life Ambulance Scene Pictures

[Steve Loftin]

This is the first picture that I have ever seen with a Federal Model Y siren mounted on it. I also find it interesting that there are no police, or at least police in uniform, on the scene.

Who knows, they're probably directing traffic. These photos were made from negatives I purchased that are from a newspaper in southeast Kansas (I assume Parsons) over the years. Law enforcement personnel are seen in many of the accident pictures.

It appears that the warning devices on the Dodge were moved over from the car it likely replaced, a 1948-ish Chrysler sedan ambulance:

(SL collection)

 

[John ED Renstrom]

This is the first picture that I have ever seen with a Federal Model Y siren mounted on it. I also find it interesting that there are no police, or at least police in uniform, on the scene. The tarp covering the back door of the car leads me to believe that this is a fatality accident. Thanks for posting the picture.

the county sheriff could be anyone of the people in the flapper hat. the badge would be in the center of it. not all counties in early 50s paid for or required a uniform just a man willing to do the job. the rear door on the 53 pontiac ( I'm seeing parts) car has the skin pushed up to look like a tarp all the people standing in front who can really tell. but the damage on the mercury kind of looks like it was a T bone almost avoided.

 

[Steve Loftin]

the rear door on the 53 pontiac ( I'm seeing parts) car has the skin pushed up to look like a tarp all the people standing in front who can really tell. but the damage on the mercury kind of looks like it was a T bone almost avoided.

Check out the C pillar and wrap-around rear glass; she's a hardtop.

 

[Wayne Krakowski]

Anyoe know the light behind the siren is it rear facing red to avoid drilling too many holes

 

[Kyle Martin]

id say you are correct paul. them cars hit hard. thats real steel and not a plastic concoction like are made nowdays. imagine if they hit a new car with an old real steel car. they mustve been travelin at a pretty good clip to bend them cars like that.

 

[John ED Renstrom]

your right a two door is is I did notice the 2 feathered Indian on the hood. but one has to ask them self how do two moving cars hit each other on there right side?

 

[Paul Steinberg]

Anyoe know the light behind the siren is it rear facing red to avoid drilling too many holes

I would guess that since the siren doesn't have a rear light, that they just used a stand alone light such as a truck directional light. The Model Y siren is the same motor as the Federal WL, except it has either a Propello Ray or SolaRay light in the front. You could also have gotten the Y with a rear light, and I would guess that would have been a Federal YL?? Steve Loftin will probably know for certain...

 

[Steve Loftin]

I would guess that since the siren doesn't have a rear light, that they just used a stand alone light such as a truck directional light. The Model Y siren is the same motor as the Federal WL, except it has either a Propello Ray or SolaRay light in the front. You could also have gotten the Y with a rear light, and I would guess that would have been a Federal YL?? Steve Loftin will probably know for certain...

This would've had a Propello Ray; the Solar Rays weren't introduced until 1958.

My guess would be a YR, to match the rest of the product line...but I don't have a catalog handy to confirm that. I've only seen one Y that I can remember.

 

[Steve Loftin]

Anyoe know the light behind the siren is it rear facing red to avoid drilling too many holes

That would be my guess; the rear light uses a bracket that attaches to one of the siren's rear mounting bolts.

Here's another view of the same car, enlarged as much as possible without getting fuzzy:

 

[John ED Renstrom]

a stand alone lolly pop light. to give them a winker facing the rear. they did not use a lot of lights in the 50's. but what I like are the etched design on the rear windows. everyone has some variation of the red cross in the circle with lines off from it. this one is really close to superiors but the design is clear and the glass etched.

 

[Chris M. Kelley]

I'll have to go to the top floor of my building someday and open the archives trunk for the past funeral director. All of the local ones made it a point to provide better ambulance service than the other; so they have to have pictures. One of them was the coroner, and the death registry from the town's cemetery seems to suggest an awful lot of car accidents in the 30's-50's... Like weekly.. and this was an extremely rural area prior to the 70's.

 

[Steve Lichtman]

... I also find it interesting that there are no police, or at least police in uniform, on the scene. The tarp covering the back door of the car leads me to believe that this is a fatality accident. Thanks for posting the picture.

I worked a crash in the '80's outside of Tulsa. It was about an hour from the city, and two cars had hit head-on on an icy dam on the Arkansas River. We transported two trauma patients from the crash. When we left, there were still no sheriff's officers on the scene, no fire department, and no wreckers. We had to go, and we left the wrecked cars on the dam blocking the whole road. Nothing else we could do.

I find the little dog in the middle of the accident scene interesting.

 

[John Royark JR]

I worked a crash in the '80's outside of Tulsa. It was about an hour from the city, and two cars had hit head-on on an icy dam on the Arkansas River. We transported two trauma patients from the crash. When we left, there were still no sheriff's officers on the scene, no fire department, and no wreckers. We had to go, and we left the wrecked cars on the dam blocking the whole road. Nothing else we could do.

I find the little dog in the middle of the accident scene interesting.

I was thinking someone swerved to miss the dog and made a bigger mess.

 

[Attila Bethlenfalvy]

'31 Ford AA ambulance @ First Aid station, beginning of Hoover Dam construction.

If this is in fact AA based, spoke wheels looks much better than the standard commercial variety.

 

[Attila Bethlenfalvy]

Following up previously posted '31 Ford AA pic, here is the commercial vehicle display that Ford toured the country with in 1931. Turns out those 20" wire wheels were a rare AA option and were very similar to Lincoln wire wheels of the time. Along the back wall a different '31 AA ambulance can be seen that also has those wheels.

Another vintage shot~ Sergeant James Price checking out a new '41 Superior Army ambulance.

 

[Attila Bethlenfalvy]

Okay, this gorgeous '35-'36 Auburn based ambulance is simply stunning. (Grill badge reads 852, which would have been '36. Not to say that it isn't a rebadged '35 851.) Would Crown have been coach builder?

Note (B&M?) siren tucked behind bumper.

Under magnification, license plate appears CA 1935. After subsequently searching online it looks to have served Hollywood Receiving Hospital and was designated G-6.

 

[John ED Renstrom]

if I remember right the G units in LA were Hennies

 

[Adam Borkat]

Would Crown have been coach builder?

Yes. We've talked about these before, but I can't find the thread. Maybe deleted now.

There are a couple other photos of this car and a couple other units floating around out there too. And I don't remember where I got this information, but in my notes on this specific unit, I wrote it was used in a show called Captain Midnight.

 

[Abe Bush]

'52 or '53 @ St. Elizabeth Hospital (now Trinitas Regional Medical Center) in Elizabeth, NJ.

Check out the nun/sister in the photo, and the huge skeleton key dangling from a chord around her dress, which probably opened every door in the hospital.

Abe

 

[Abe Bush]

Okay, this gorgeous '35-'36 Auburn based ambulance is simply stunning. (Grill badge reads 852, which would have been '36. Not to say that it isn't a rebadged '35 851.) Would Crown have been coach builder?

Note (B&M?) siren tucked behind bumper.

Under magnification, license plate appears CA 1935. After subsequently searching online it looks to have served Hollywood Receiving Hospital and was designated G-6.

I also like the Los Angeles (city or county?) seal on the door as well.

Abe