CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — Two medics had minor injuries Friday afternoon after a man jumped out of an ambulance on I-77 heading southbound towards CAMC General Hospital, the Charleston Police Department told 13 News.

Lt. Tony Hazlett said that the ambulance had to slow down on I-77 due to “a medical situation.” The man then jumped out of the ambulance and fell from the overpass onto a parking lot on Donnally Street, where he was later pronounced dead.

“We’re investigating it and trying to put closure to an incident. It was a tragic incident for the family of the victim,” Lt. Hazelett said.  

The ambulance was rear-ended right after the man jumped, leaving two paramedics with minor injuries.  

There are still unanswered questions as to why the ambulance slowed down in the first place.  

“It’s kind of unclear now. We’re still investigating that. It’s unsure whether the patient got combative or they had to restrain or whatever, but they had to slow down and take some kind of action, and we’re still investigating that,” Hazelett said.

Hazelett continued, “They were doing their job. They were trying their best to follow their procedures. It’s just an unfortunate incident that happened. It’s not uncommon for a paramedic unit to contact law enforcement for a combative patient or anything like that. I’m not saying this patient was combative, but they had to slow down for some reason for the safety of the medics and the patient.”  

The patient’s identity has not been released yet. Both paramedics who had injuries were treated on Friday.