A crash on a Wright County road involving an ambulance carrying a patient and an SUV during a snowstorm has left two medical workers facing long recoveries and another person injured, officials said.

The head-on collision occurred shortly before 1:30 a.m. Saturday on County Road 35 near Eaken Avenue NE. in Buffalo Township, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Emergency medical technician Tim Day, 43, of Albertville, Minn., and paramedic Brian Nagel, 30, of Greenwood, were among the injured, according to Allina Health, the ambulance's operator. Both were taken to Buffalo Hospital, with Nagel being transferred to North Memorial Medical Center, where he is in critical condition.

The SUV's driver, Marilyn Paumen, 51, of Monticello, Minn., was taken directly to North Memorial, the Sheriff's Office said. She was in critical condition Monday morning. The patient, Laura Wolsey, 35, of St. Michael, Minn., was moved to a replacement ambulance and continued on to Buffalo Hospital.

Authorities say specifics about the crash, including which lane the collision occurred, remain under investigation.

Immediately after the crash, "Tim was driving and did his best to manage the situation, reportedly even attempting to render aid to others, despite the fact that he himself suffered significant" lower-body injuries, Brian LaCroix, president of Allina Health Emergency Medical Services, said in a Facebook posting Sunday night.

Tim faces extensive surgery and "has been told to expect up to three months or so living from a wheelchair," LaCroix added.

Nagel is hospitalized in intensive care and breathing with the assistance of a ventilator and has at his side his parents from Florida and a sister from New York, LaCroix said.

"Brian has a long road ahead, but he has literally thousands of people from across the country pulling and praying for him," LaCroix said.

No information was immediately available about the other two people injured in the crash.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482