Police identify driver in fatal ambulance accident

Authorities have identified the driver of an ambulance that struck and killed a 79-year-old woman in St. Paul on Saturday.

Thomas Tommio Murakami, 57, was backing up the ambulance in an alley behind the Walgreens at Randolph and Snelling avenues on Saturday evening when he hit Margaret Adele Kuehn, officials said.

Murakami was responding to an accident in the pharmacy's parking lot, according to St. Paul Police Spokesman Paul Schnell.

Kuehn died at the scene.

The accident remains under investigation and is expected to take several weeks to complete, authorities said.

"The driver of the ambulance...was backing the ambulance down toward the scene so that his other fellow crew members could have better access to their equipment," Schnell said.

Police believe Kuehn was unaware of the presence of the ambulance, and that Murakami did not see her walk from between some garages into the alley, Schnell said.

Officials tested Murakami's blood alcohol level, which came back negative for the presence of alcohol. Testing for alcohol is a standard procedure in all fatal accidents, officials said.

Both the police and fire departments are investigating the accident.

The ambulance was taken out of service for inspection, which is a standard procedure for city vehicles involved in fatal crashes.