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Ambulance Crash in Michigan

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Not On Emergency Call

AN AMR AMBULANCE IN HOLLAND, Michigan, collided with an auto Friday evening and left three people injured, none seriously.

The victims in the car had to be extricated.  (WOOD-TV)

The ambulance was not on a call and didn't have any emergency lights activated when the car, according to unconfirmed reports, pulled into the ambulance's path.

Three people in the car were transported with minor injuries and the two EMT's were checked out on the scene.

WOOD-TV filed this video report:

 

Car crashes into ambulance in Holland

 

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Posted by on May 18, 2013 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Another Stolen Ambulance

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The Crew Inside Heard the Backup Alarm Sounding

A BOULDER COUNTY, COLORADO, MAN was arrested this morning (Sunday) shortly after he stole an ambulance in Longmont because he was cold (and drunk…. ed.).  An AMR ambulance and a Longmont fire unit responded around 3 am for an 86-yr.-old woman who had fallen in her residence.  While the crews were inside tending to their patient, the ambulance crew heard the backup alarm sounding on their unit and ran outside where they could see the ambulance tooling down the road.

They immediately notified the police and a patrol located the ambulance around 3:20 am just six blocks away and being driven by Robert Elmar Taylor, 51.  During his arrest he told officers that he was cold.  Police say Taylor was unsteady on his feet, had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech. He also failed a field sobriety test. 

Taylor was arrested and charged with the theft of the ambulance and driving under the influence of alcohol.  No supplies were reported used or missing from the ambulance and there was no report of the vehicle being damaged.  Later investigation disclosed that Taylor had an outstanding arrest warrant for escaping from the Colorado Department of Corrections.  He is currently being held in the Boulder County jail.

The Longmont Times Call has the STORY.

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Posted by on January 6, 2013 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances • Tagged: , , ,

AMR Lays Off Moonlighters

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A Dozen of More Given Notice

AMERICAN MEDICAL RESPONSE AMBULANCE Service's Bridgeport, Connecticut, division has recently given warnings to about a dozen or more of their medics to cease working part-time for their competitors.  Citing a contract provision that specifies that their employees cannot work for their competitiors, several medics were told to either resign from Danbury Ambulance and Valley Emergency Medical Services, or they will be let go from AMR.  Working as volunteers on local volunteer squads is permitted.

AMR is stretching the definition of "competitor" by including Danbury and VEMS because they had bid against AMR in past contract proposals.  This expanded definition caught many AMR medics by surprise and now they are caught between the proverbial rock and hard spot.

The Danbury News Times reported:

Joseph Desimone, president and chief executive officer of Danbury Ambulance, said late Friday, he was surprised at the move by AMR.  "I'm hoping they change their mind," he said. "I'm not sure what advantage AMR would have not allowing people to work for their organization. If anything, they won't be able to provide the kind of coverage as they have in the past."

He added that the emergency services community is small, and there often aren't a lot of certified paramedics to go around. And many, he said, work second jobs to make ends meet.

"These people are working other jobs because they need to," Desimone said. "Now they're being put at a disadvantage."

The News Times continues:  A memo sent to the affected employees Sept. 5 by Bill Schietenger, manager of AMR's Bridgeport division, said the company considers VEMS a competitor "since it submitted a bid against AMR in our service area.

"As you are aware, a memo was posted in Operations regarding the company's stance of our employees working for competitors," he said.  "I will need official word from you in writing on your decision of employment by 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 10. If I do not hear from you by 4 p.m., I will consider that your voluntary resignation from AMR."

Firegeezer observes that Schietenger might have "stepped in it" by appearing to be making an attempt to circumvent Workmen's Comp. laws to force a resignation in order to avoid unemployment compensation payouts.  That will probably be brought out because several of the affected medics have engaged a labor attorney to file a complaint.

The Hartford Courant adds:

Bob Petinella, the executive director of the VEMS said, "We've done well in the past few years and we've decided to expand. Our position is that the folks we employ are professionals and they can work for whoever they want. We're not going to affect their ability to work or to earn income, and we trust that when they are working for VEMS they represent our best interests."

New Haven lawyer Irving Pinsky said he has been retained by some of the paramedics suspended by AMR, and that he is preparing a lawsuit on their behalf, citing the state's Unfair Trade Practices Act. The employees are not unionized, Pinsky said.

"I'm still in the investigation stage, but from what I'm told, these people are being prevented from working," Pinsky said. "Their careers and income options are being limited in violation of the law."

Read the full story in the News Times HERE.
The Hartford Courant has MORE.

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Posted by on September 15, 2012 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, labor • Tagged:

AMR Ambo Flips in San Fran

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Traffic Signal Involved

AN AMERICAN MEDICAL RESPONSE AMBULANCE was responding to a call in the Mission District of San Francisco, California, Friday afternoon when it collided with a VW sedan.  The crash left the VW's front end demolished and the ambulance on it's side.

KTVU-TV

There was no patient in the ambulance that was carrying two medics and an intern.  The two medics were injured and needed transportation.  The intern and the driver of the sedan were treated on the scene.

Chronicle

The San Francisco Chronicle adds:

The ambulance was traveling east on 16th with lights and sirens on when it collided with the white sedan, which was traveling south on South Van Ness, said police Capt. Robert Moser.

It is unclear how the two collided, but the sedan did not run a red light, Moser said.

David Scott, who works at a nearby Hyundai dealership, said he heard the sirens and then a crash and a scraping noise.

SF Chronicle

Read the full report in the Chronicle HERE.

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Posted by on July 22, 2012 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances • Tagged: , ,

Patient Jumps From Ambulance Into Path of Truck

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May Have Been Trying Suicide

AN AMR AMBULANCE IN LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, was transporting a mental patient to a facility for an evaluation Wednesday around noon Pacific time when he suddenly jumped out of the rear door of the ambulance on a busy highway.  Police said that the ambulance picked up Steven Datu, 31, at his house and and were taking him to a mental clinic when he bailed out.

Datu ran into the path of this truck and was struck.

Witnesses say that it looked like he was deliberately trying to get run over and was running into moving traffic.  A large pickup truck pulling a trailer was unable to avoid Datu and struck him.

KLAS-TV  Ch. 8 posted this video report on the unusual incident:

 

Datu was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

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Posted by on March 21, 2012 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

Another Stolen Ambulance

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When Will These People Ever Learn?

AN AMR AMBULANCE WAS STOLEN FRIDAY AFTERNOON from the loading zone of a Springfield, Massachusetts, hospital.  According to Springfield Police, Dmitry Kochev, 25, got into the unattended ambulance that was reportedly left runing and drove off.  He only traveled a quarter-mile before he lost control of the ambulance and crashed into a snow bank.

WGGB-TV

Kochev then got out and fled on foot.  The theft was reported immediately and police units were already heading to the area when one of them spotted Kochev a few blocks away.  The Mercy Medical Center's surveillance tapes show Kochev getting into the ambulance and driving away.  He has been charged with larceny of a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of a property damage accident.

The Republican has the details in their STORY HERE.

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Posted by on March 3, 2012 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics • Tagged: , ,

Ambulances to Back Off While Firetrucks Handle Medical Emergencies

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(Something Just Doesn't Sound Right Here)

CLARK COUNTY, WASHINGTON, COMMISSIONERS HAVE reached a controversial agreement with their emergency medical provider that will cut back on their responses while increasing the involvement of the fire units.

American Medical Response (AMR) has complained that they are having difficulty making a profit and have requested the county allow them an additional two minutes of acceptable response time whenever the fire department is first to arrive on the scene of an EMS call.  Under the current agreement, AMR has to arrive on a call within 7 mins.-59 seconds at 90% of the incidents.  The new timeclock will give them 9 minutes-59 seconds if a fire unit is already on the scene.  The claim is that so many of the calls do not require transportation, so the FD can take care of the treatment while the ambulance goes back into service.

Vancouver Fire Station 3  (VFD photo)

The Columbian reports:

Vancouver Fire Chief Joe Molina said that EMS District 2 is just starting what could potentially be a massive overhaul of the way emergency ambulance services are provided in the county.

AMR’s contract expires in 2014, and the extension is necessary to keep the private company from walking away before the district is ready, he said.

"If we don’t help them, they’ll leave," Molina said. "We need time to redesign. (If not), we’re going to be put in the position of building it on the fly."

EMS District 2 does not pay AMR for its contract. However, the extension will save the company $250,000, half of which it will funnel back to the various local fire districts.

(Councilor Jeanne) Harris said there’s a contract in place that says AMR should be there in less than 8 minutes. She said she’d like to see it stay that way. "I feel like, wait a second, they’re going to save $250,000 but they can’t supply the service we’re contracting with them to do?" she asked.

She also said she was worried about a situation where a Vancouver Fire unit not staffed with a paramedic arrived on scene first, giving AMR time, but was then unable to provide advanced life support.

KATU-TV continues:  Clark County Regional EMS manager Doug Smith-Lee, says firefighters can get to the scene fast, within five minutes most times, and they can and should handle more of the calls.  "What we're trying to do is really recognize the resources that we have within the community, make the best use of those resources without compromising patient care," he said.

While the firefighters are at the scene, the ambulance gets two extra minutes to respond. They can make sure firefighters don’t need the extra help and don't need AMR to transport a patient to the hospital. That way they don't double up on services and costs. 

KATU-TV also filed this video report:

 

Read the full story in The Columbian HERE.

Posted by on January 12, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, ambulances, EMS Topics, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

Ambulance vs. Semi in Montana

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Yes, It Was at an Intersection

AN AMR AMBULANCE WAS CLIPPED by a tractor-trailer truck at an intersection in Billings, Montana, Tuesday afternoon around 1 pm.

KXLH-TV Ch.9 Helena describes the collision:

The AMR ambulance was southbound on 5th Street West and the semi was westbound on Montana Avenue.  The front of the ambulance was clipped by the rear axle of the semi truck, ripping off the driver's side tire.

KXLH-TV

According to the semi-truck driver, the ambulance pulled out in front of him, causing him to swerve.  Witnesses at the scene say the lights and siren of the ambulance were on when the crash happened.

No injuries were reported in the wreck and police have not yet determined who was at fault or if any citations will be issued.

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Posted by on September 7, 2011 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances • Tagged: , ,

Ambulance Crash in Spokane

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Collision at Controlled Intersection

AN AMR AMBULANCE IN SPOKANE, WASHINGTON, collided with a SUV around 4:30 am Wednesday morning at an intersection controlled by flashing signals.

The ambulance was returning from a call and was not using its emergency lights or siren when it entered the intersection on the flashing yellow.  A private vehicle with two passengers traveling on the cross street drove through the flashing red and paid for it by getting T-boned by the ambulance.  The car then veered off and ended up against a paint store, but did not damage the building.

The two ambulance medics were transported for checkups and released a few hours later.  The two people in the SUV who were delivering newspapers at the time were also transported with some undisclosed injuries.

KREM-TV has the story and a video report HERE.

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Posted by on April 6, 2011 • Filed under: ambulances, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances • Tagged: , ,

98 days after last skill use … oops

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Bicycles, business travel and out-of-hospital intubation

During a discussion of out-of-hospital intubation practice, Scott Bourn shared his agency's experience with paramedic skill proficiency. Bourn, PhD, RN, EMT-P, is the Vice President of Clinical Affairs for American Medical Response. 17,000 ALS providers working for 88 local medical directors. He noted that proficiency drops off when a skill is not used for more than 90 days.

Interrupted Flyer

It was 98 days since my last airline trip. The longest business travel interruption in a decade.

Scheduling my flight at the last minute meant I had a middle seat in the back of the plane. Planned to ugrade when I checked in at the self-serve kiosk.

Where is my?

The first stumble was looking for the carry-on toiletries. The collection of TSA appropriate liquids in the correctly sized zip-loc bag was missing.

Oh yeah, left that in the office after the January blizzard DHS Threat Level White  

Aisle Seat upgrade

Some airlines have a menu-syle system for various upgrades and services.  For $30 bucks I can get out of the middle seat and get an aisle seat with incrementally better legroom.

Not completely thinking this through, selected a bulkhead seat. Maximum legroom but no way to place a carry-on under the seat in front of you.

When Group 1 means middle of the pack

The upgrade also placed me in Group 1 for boarding. For this carrier, "Group 1" on the ticket means you are in the fourth or fifth group (of eight) boarding the plane.

The stratification of various frequent flyer/bonus programs is amazing. By time Group 1 was boarding, most of the overhead bins were taken around Seat 7D.

But wait, there is one more thing …

The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 has a 2 seat/3 seat configuration in coach. 

Seat 7D functions as a jersey barrier to the balance of the passengers boarding the flight.

Not a comfortable place to sit.

Should of stayed in the middle seat in the rear of the plane.

It is not like riding a bicycle.

Part of the intubation discussion was that, once you learned the skill you would retain the capability to perform the skill months or years later.

Not sure that you can be competent in using a critical but infrequently used skill. Surprised at the fumbling and stumbing with business travel tasks that are "easy."

In many systems, paramedics may have an opportunity to intubate once or twice a year.

How many critical skills are you responsible for that are infrequently used?

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

 

Posted by on March 21, 2011 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Patient Management, Training & Development • Tagged: , , , , ,

Ambulance Crashes Hard With Sheriff Car

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Both Vehicles Operating Lights and Sirens

A CARMICHAEL, CALIFORNIA, AMBULANCE collided with a Sacramento County Sheriff’s car at a controlled intersection Sunday afternoon causing heavy damages to both vehicles.   The collision knocked the ambulance onto its side and it then slid off the street “in a shower of debris.”

The ambulance lays on its side in the trees after colliding
with the cruiser.  (KCRA-TV photo)

A neighbor who heard the crash tells KTXL-TV: 

After he heard the crash, Arino went running out of his house to see if there was anyone who needed help.  There was.  He says the ambulance, which had come to rest on its side in one homeowner’s backyard, was “belching smoke.”

“I saw the paramedic rattling around back there and I helped them open the door, held it open, and they scrambled out,” he said.

Arino says they immediately went to help the sheriff’s deputy, who was trapped inside his car.  The deputy was conscious and speaking before he was taken to the hospital.

The AMR ambulance was responding to a medical call and did not have a patient onboard.  The patrol car was responding to a different incident, a call to assist another police officer.  The Californian Highway Patrol is investigating the accident and they are currently saying that the ambulance had the green light of the intersection.

KTXL-TV

The deputy had to be extricated from the cruiser and remains in the hospital being treated for several facial-bone fractures.  One of the medics was transported, then later released.

The Sacramento Bee has MORE.

Posted by on March 7, 2011 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances • Tagged: , ,

Speeding Car Rear-Ends Parked Ambulance

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Medics in Back Working on Patient

A SPEEDING SUV IN PORTLAND, OREGON, SLAMMED INTO the rear of an AMR ambulance that was stopped early Thursday morning, killing the driver of the car.  Police say that the ambulance was positioned at a streetcar platform treating a patient at 2:20 am Pacific when a woman driving a KIA came speeding down the street and drove right into the back of the ambulance without ever applying the brakes.

The Oregonian reports:

The impact was so severe that it pushed the ambulance 15 feet, lifting part of its front end onto the MAX platform, and sheered off what appeared to be an open rear door.

The Oregonian

A police sergeant who witnessed the crash while stopped at a light said the  SUV appeared to be going up to 80 mph when it hit the ambulance.

A paramedic in the back of ambulance fell out, suffering scrapes and bruises. The ambulance’s driver also suffered minor injuries, police said.

The driver of the SUV was killed instantly.

This was the second time last night that an AMR ambulance was rear-ended.

WTNH-TV Ch. 8 New Haven, Connecticut, is reporting this morning:

 Branford police are investigating an accident involving a car and an ambulance Wednesday night.The accident occurred on West Main Street around 10:30pm. Police say an AMR Ambulance was stopped at a red light in front of the Lakeview Plaza when it was rear-ended by a car.  The female driver of the ambulance and the male driver of the car were both taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital for evaluation.

The male passenger of the ambulance was evaluated on the scene by EMS personnel and reported no injuries. There were no other passengers inside the car or the ambulance.

Both vehicles were totaled in the accident.

Posted by on January 20, 2011 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics • Tagged: , ,

Tennesse Ambulance Crashed by Car

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A 4-VEHICLE CRASH THAT INCLUDED AN AMBULANCE left one person in critical condition and four others injured.  The wreck took place in Shelby County, just outside Memphis, on Friday morning around 7:20 am.  The AMR ambulance was driving to a fueling station and while waiting to make a left turn got caught up in the crash sequence.

WREG-TV

The Memphis Commercial-Appeal reports:

 A 2006 Nissan heading west on North Watkins ran a red light at Thomas, according to a preliminary police investigation.  A white GMC pickup traveling south on Thomas collided with the side of the Nissan, which became airborne and struck the Rural Metro ambulance and a 1995 Ford Taurus stopped in traffic on Watkins, police said.The 50-year-old man driving the Nissan was taken to the Regional Medical Center at Memphis in critical condition and a 9-year-old boy who was a passenger in the Ford Taurus, along with the man driving the GMC pickup were all transported to hospitals in noncritical condition, police said.

The driver and the paramedic on the ambulance both had to be extricated by the FD and were also transported for minor injuries.

WREG-TV Ch. 3 posted this video report from the scene:

 

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Posted by on November 13, 2010 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Another Stolen Ambulance

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A WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, MAN HAS BEEN CHARGED with stealing an ambulance and eluding police on Monday.  Michael Chowka, 36, told officers that he “was just looking for a ride home” at 5:30 am when he found the AMR ambulance parked in front of a nursing home with the keys in the ignition.  The ambulance crew had gone inside to pick up a patient for a non-emergency transport.

Google Street View of the St. Regis Health Center, nursing home
scene where the AMR ambulance was taken.

When Chowka drove off, AMR’s GPS tracking software picked up the signal and they were able to follow it and relay the information to the police.  The New Haven Register picks up the story:

According to Seymour police Lt. Paul Satkowski, New Haven police pursued the ambulance to the Woodbridge line, but broke off the chase when the vehicle left the city.

Seymour police then responded to a broadcast from New Haven and sent officers to Route 67 near the Woodbridge line.

At about 5:30 a.m., the ambulance was seen entering Seymour. Officers deployed stop sticks, spiked strips of plastic, and deflated three of the ambulance’s four tires, bringing it to a stop, Satkowski said.

AMR General Manager Charles Babson  said the ambulance is equipped with GPS “so the dispatchers were able to watch it and relay that information to police, so they got turn-by-turn descriptions.”

“The whole time, he was driving normal traffic and travel. No lights, no sirens. Didn’t go higher than 35 miles per hour,” Babson said.

The ambulance was returned to American Medical Response of Connecticut. Satkowski said it suffered no damage other than the flat tires.

“It wasn’t even a half an hour before we had the truck back. A couple of tires (and) it was back on the road this morning,” Babson said.

Posted by on September 1, 2010 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics • Tagged: , , , , ,