Five injured in wreck at Hathaway Bridge

A late-night accident sent five people to hospital in a wreck that slowed traffic for several hours on the Hathaway Bridge.

Officers with the Panama City Police Department were called to an accident in front of a local lounge on W. Highway 98 around 9 p.m. Saturday. Upon arrival, officers discovered that a black Ford pickup truck had struck a Bay County Emergency Services ambulance in the eastbound lanes coming off the bridge.

Through their investigation, officer determined that the truck, driven by Lane Edward Gaylean, 53, had pulled out of the lounge parking lot into the path of the ambulance, which was headed eastbound with a driver and three passengers aboard. Included in the passengers was one person being transported after suffering injuries in another wreck. The truck struck the ambulance nearly head-on.

The PCPD conducted a preliminary traffic homicide investigation on scene, causing the busy roadway to be partially blocked for more than three hours. In all, the drivers of both vehicles as well as the passengers in the back of the ambulance were transported to local hospitals, with only Gaylean’s injuries listed as severe.

The investigation into the crash is ongoing. Anyone with information in this case is asked to call the Panama City Police Department at 850-872-3100, or they can report tips anonymously via smartphone by downloading the “Panama City PD” Tip411 app from the iOS or Google Play stores.