QUEZON CITY, Philippines — A pre-dawn collision between a speeding emergency vehicle and a sport utility vehicle (SUV) left an intersection in shambles, an SUV overturned, and three individuals injured on Friday, June 26, 2026.

The high-impact accident occurred just before 2:00 a.m. at the busy crossing of Quezon Avenue and D. Tuazon Street in Barangay Lourdes, Quezon City.

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage captured the dramatic moment the incident unfolded. An SUV was traversing D. Tuazon Street and carefully entering the intersection when an ambulance coming down Quezon Avenue plowed directly into it.

The sheer force of the impact flipped the SUV completely onto its side. Meanwhile, the ambulance careened forward blindly until it violently smashed into the road's center island, crushing its front bumper and shattering its windshield.

Subsequent investigations and alternative CCTV angles revealed that the traffic light along Quezon Avenue had already turned solid red when the ambulance entered the intersection. The SUV, consequently, had a clear green light to cross.

The driver of the SUV, who was bound for Cubao alongside his wife, insisted they had the right of way: "We had the green light. We were coming from D. Tuazon heading to Cubao. When we were crossing, [the ambulance] just kept going straight. When he hit us, that was when it happened—we ended up overturned."

The ambulance was reportedly heading back home to Cavite after successfully delivering a patient to a hospital in Quezon City when the crash occurred. The 42-year-old ambulance driver defended his actions, claiming the layout of the corner obstructed his view: "They suddenly appeared at the intersection. Our brakes could no longer stop us. We failed to notice whether the light was red or green."

However, a passenger riding inside the ambulance countered this statement, claiming that the SUV was traveling at an excessive speed and failed to apply its brakes.

Miraculously, the elderly senior citizen couple riding inside the overturned SUV escaped the wreckage completely uninjured.

The same could not be said for the ambulance's occupants. The 42-year-old ambulance driver and his two companions sustained various injuries from the heavy secondary impact with the center island and were quickly treated by arriving emergency medical personnel.

First responders and towing crews worked rapidly to clear the scattered debris and flip the SUV back onto its wheels. By 3:00 a.m., both wrecked vehicles were successfully towed from the intersection, fully restoring traffic flow before the morning rush hour. The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Traffic Sector 1 has taken over the active investigation to determine official fault.