‘Couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move’: EMT recalls crash into ambulance with patient inside

CHARLOTTE — An emergency medical technician took the stand in court on Thursday to relive the moments when a driver slammed into his ambulance while he had a patient inside.

The driver involved in the case is now on trial after he turned down a plea deal that would’ve kept him out of prison.

Channel 9’s Gina Esposito was the only reporter in court as EMT Gabriel Smith testified about the crash.

It’s the day Smith has been waiting years for. He told the court that while his legs still hurt from being pinned in the ambulance, he has little memory of the crash itself. He got emotional recalling the moment he had to call his wife and tell her he was in the hospital.

“I remember not knowing where I was at one point. It was pitch black, strongly quiet. I was on my back. I couldn’t breathe and I couldn’t move,” Smith said.

Smith says his mind went blank when the accused driver, Brian Ogbonna, crashed into his ambulance in May of 2023. It happened while Smith was responding to a crash at N. Tryon Street and Mallard Creek church Road. He was treating a patient in the back of the ambulance when he was hit.

The box of the ambulance was ripped from its base and landed on its side. Another EMT who was also in the truck testified on Thursday to describe that moment.

“I couldn’t hear or see anything,” the EMT said. “I thought the patient and Gabe were dead.”

We also heard from several Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers who responded.

“I remember debris, the accident of the crash coming down on me,” one officer testified.

The officer’s body camera video shows a dark car that appears to be speeding through the intersection. Once the car hit the ambulance, the officer took cover behind a patrol car. From there, officers rushed to help the victims and the suspect.

An officer with CMPD’s Major Crash Unit testified that he didn’t believe Ogbonna was impaired.

We haven’t heard from Ogbanna or his defense attorney. The trial resumes Friday and could go into next week.

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