Lankenau patient allegedly flees, steals van, crashes into a creek

A Lankenau Medical Center patient apparently wanted to get out so badly this morning that he fled the Wynnewood hospital still wearing his gown, an IV stuck in his arm.

He then allegedly stole an Aramark delivery van before crashing into nearby Indian Creek.

"He tried to leave the hospital grounds and ended up in the creek" near the entrance to the hospital, a first responder who was at the scene said today when reached by phone.

The responder, who did not want to give his name because he was not authorized to speak, said first responders had to cut part of the van's roof away in order to get the patient out.

The Montgomery County dispatch center said it appeared that Lower Merion police drove up to the crash scene, off of Lancaster Avenue near City Avenue, about 4:11 a.m., and then notified the hospital, which was looking for the man.

The patient was flown by helicopter to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, the dispatch center said.

CBS 3 reported that the patient still had an IV in his arm when he left the hospital and said he drove about 200 yards before the Aramark van struck a fence, rolled down an embankment, then stopped on its side in the water.

Bridget Therriault, a spokeswoman for Main Line Health, of which Lankenau Medical Center is a part, issued a statement by e-mail today saying in part that the hospital and health system "have immediately started an internal review of the incident. We are also communicating with the appropriate authorities regarding this matter."

A woman who answered the phone at the Lower Merion Police Department said she did not have any information about the incident.

A Penn Medicine spokeswoman said she could not confirm whether the patient is now at HUP.