Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN — A vehicle split in half after hitting a pole at 7:38 p.m. Thursday at 2950 Mahoning Ave. at Matta Avenue on the West Side, killing the passenger.

A report from the police traffic division said the 22-year-old woman passenger died Friday of her injuries from the single-vehicle crash.

A 29-year-old man who was driving the vehicle is in stable condition at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, according to a news release from the Youngstown Police Department.

The Mahoning County Coroner’s Office is investigating and will provide the identity of the fatality.

Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call the police department’s Accident Investigation Unit at 330-742-8777 or 330-742-8946.

Jon Racco, Youngstown Professional Fire Fighters IAFF Local 312, said in a statement: “On the West Side, a horrific vehicle accident presented arriving crews with a scene spanning several blocks, a vehicle extrication and multiple trauma victims with serious injuries. Only one ambulance was available from AMR, the city’s contracted EMS provider.”

A message seeking comment from AMR officials was left Friday afternoon on a voicemail for the company’s main office.

The city firefighters have in the past proposed Youngstown starting its own ambulance service, although the city administration has cited cost as a factor.

American Medical Response, meanwhile, is seeking an annual subsidy from Youngstown of $1.8 million to $2.6 million to continue to provide ambulance service to the city or the company will pull out.

AMR’s contract with the city, in which Youngstown doesn’t pay any subsidy, expires Dec. 31.

AMR had said that without an annual subsidy of at least $750,000 it would be forced to close its Youngstown operations.

When the city sought proposals for ambulance services in October, AMR was the only company to submit one.

That subsidy request, which was revealed Wednesday, was $1.8 million annually for three ambulances, $2.2 million for 3 1/2 ambulances and $2.6 million for four ambulances with a 5 percent annual increase in the second and third years.

During earlier negotiations, AMR said it would provide four ambulances to the city.

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