Conditions Of Teens Struck By Ambulance Remain Critical

WINSTON-SALEM -- Two teenage boys who were struck by an ambulance traveling south on University Parkway Monday evening were on their way to play video games at a local Blockbuster store, one of the boy's mother told WXII.

Teens Hit By Ambulance

Police said it appeared the two were trying to cross University Parkway around 9:30 p.m. when they were struck by a Surry County ambulance traveling on a nonemergency call.

Jamal Deshawn Shell, 16, and his cousin, Daquanta Janeele Mack, 15, were both taken to Baptist Hospital where they were listed in critical condition, suffering from head injuries.

Police said neither of the boys was wearing a helmet.

"When he got (to the hospital), he wasn't breathing," Shell's mother, Tonica, told WXII's Margaret Johnson. "(Then) he started to breathe a little bit."

EMS director John Shelton said his ambulance crew told him the boys, who were wearing dark clothing, came out of nowhere. Shelton said the crew, who offered medical assistance to the boys, were shaken up by the ordeal.

Mack's cousin, Michael Lyles, said he knows the stretch of road where the accident happened very well. The speed limit is posted at 55 mph, however, police said the ambulance wasn't speeding. "I know I've drove through there and it's dangerous," Lyles said. "I understand how they say they came out of nowhere. That street is so busy. Its hard to see off from a distance."

Both boys were football players at local high schools. Mack was planning to play at Carver High School, and Shell at Tabor High School.

Now that possibility remains up in the air.

"I'm just upset about the whole situation," Shell added. "The only thing I can do is pray."