A man jumped out of an ambulance, tumbling directly in front of oncoming traffic during peak rush hour on the Capital Beltway, police say.
The private ambulance was taking the man from one hospital to another on Thursday when the patient jumped out on the I-495 Outer Loop just before the I-270 Spur, police said.
Video captured by a commuter driving a few cars behind the ambulance shows the man get up and stumble to the shoulder of the road before jumping over the barrier and running into the woods nearby.
The ambulance driver stopped the van in the center lane of the interstate and tried to chase after the patient as vehicles drove past.
Police found the man, from Prince George's County, later that day.
"He was very lucky he wasn't seriously injured or even killed. Dangerous -- very dangerous," said Maryland State Police Lt. Dan Pickett.
"I'm surprised he wasn't hurt, getting out and rolling several times like he did. All it takes was hitting his head. I'm glad he's OK," said Alan Hall, the commuter that captured video of the incident.
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The man had minor injuries and was taken to the hospital, Pickett said. No charges were filed.
