St. Paul police ID driver of ambulance in fatal accident

Last update: June 22, 2009 - 7:57 PM

Police on Monday identified the St. Paul firefighter who was driving an ambulance that hit and killed a 79-year-old woman over the weekend.

Authorities said Thomas Tommio Murakami, 57, had no alcohol in his system when the incident occurred on Saturday. It's standard to test blood alcohol level in fatal accidents, police said.

Murakami, a 19-year veteran of the department, was responding to a car crash at the Walgreens at Snelling and Randolph avenues. A driver lost control of her car and crashed through a fence, went over a 4-foot retaining wall and landed in the alley in the 1600 block of James Avenue.

When Murakami backed the ambulance into the alley to get closer to the crash scene, he hit St. Paul resident Margaret Kuehn, who had walked into the alley.

It appears that she didn't realize the ambulance was coming and that Murakami didn't see her, police said.

She died at the scene.

A police investigation into the accident is expected to continue for several weeks. The Fire Department will conduct its own review after the police report is completed.

"We don't have a standard procedure, because this has never happened before," said Fire Marshal Steve Zaccard.

Murakami, who has six commendations and no disciplinary actions in his file, has not been working since the accident, Zaccard said. "As you can imagine, he's devastated," he said.

The ambulance, which was taken out of service for inspection, is a few months old and equipped with an alarm that sounds when the vehicle is backing up, Zaccard said.

The State Patrol inspected the ambulance Monday morning.

"We extend our heartfelt sympathies to Mrs. Kuehn's family and friends for this tragic accident," Zaccard said.

CHRIS HAVENS

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