Medic killed in DE/Ambulance crash

[akflightmedic]

http://emsresponder.com/article/article.js...n=1&id=7750

Delaware Medic Killed in Ambulance Crash

Courtesy of The News Journal/Chuck Snyder

The ambulance struck a tree, killing the paramedic, a patient and injuring the driver and another paramedic.

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A patient and paramedic died this morning in an ambulance crash in Sussex County.

The single-vehicle accident happened about 2:40 a.m. on Del. 24 (John J. Williams Highway) near the Lewes-Rehoboth fire company substation in Angola, state police spokesman Sgt. Joshua Bushweller said.

According to police, the three-member ambulance crew had just picked up patient Betty J. Hall, 82, of Lewes from Renaissance Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Long Neck and was traveling eastbound on Del. 24 enroute to Beebe Hospital with its emergency equipment activated.

A deer entered the roadway, and driver Michael E. Wissman, 34, of Frankford maneuvered to the right shoulder to try to avoid the animal. That is when the right side wheels of the ambulance left the roadway. The rear box of the 2005 Ford ambulance struck a tree, creating a large opening on the right side before hitting several additional trees.

Hall and Sussex County Paramedic Stephanie L. Callaway, 31, of Lewes died in the crash. Callaway was in the rear of the ambulance attending to Hall. Hall and Mid-Sussex Rescue Squad emergency medical technician Brice H. Hickman, 47, of Dagsboro were ejected.

Hickman has been admitted to Beebe Hospital, where he is listed in serious condition. Wissman also has been admitted to Beebe, where he is in stable condition, police said.

Del. 24 was closed for several hours but has now been reopened.

Delaware State Police will release more details on the accident at a 1 p.m. press conference in Georgetown, Bushweller said.

"We are having our worst day," said EMS Director Glenn Luedtke. "We are a family."

"Folks don't realize what a dangerous job this is. We've proved that today."

[akflightmedic]

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dl...ONTPAGECAROUSEL

http://www.emsnetwork.org/artman2/publish/...cle_32598.shtml

[spenac]

You never swerve to miss an animal. If you can not make a very slight adjustment to miss you just go ahead and hit the animal. People need to learn to drive. If you wreck and die you do no good. If you have a properly equiped ambulance you get basically no damages when hitting a deer. If your company is to cheap to properly equip then you get a few thousand dollars worth of damage but you are alive and well.

My thoughts are with the familys and friends.

To avoid disrespectful hijacking I created a place to discuss deer in the roads.

http://www.emtcity.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.ph...&highlight=

[CBEMT]

I'm waiting for a report on the ambulance's speed at the time of the crash.

[firedoc5]

I'm waiting for a report on the ambulance's speed at the time of the crash.

That is what I immediately thought. How fast were they going to lose control like that? I hate to hear about it. Thoughts and prayers go out to all involved. And, how experienced was the driver. I know sometimes it's just a reaction to swerve, but that is where experience comes into play. And a defensive driving course is something I recommend highly.

[spenac]

That is what I immediately thought. How fast were they going to lose control like that? I hate to hear about it. Thoughts and prayers go out to all involved. And, how experienced was the driver. I know sometimes it's just a reaction to swerve, but that is where experience comes into play. And a defensive driving course is something I recommend highly.

As top heavy as ambulances are you can lay them over even at low speed if you swerve. Just say no to swerving. A problem I see often is people trying to drive an ambulance like you drive a car. That just is not safe.

[firedoc5]

As top heavy as ambulances are you can lay them over even at low speed if you swerve. Just say no to swerving. A problem I see often is people trying to drive an ambulance like you drive a car. That just is not safe.

That's what I've always said. You can't drive them like a regular car or pick-up truck. It's a whole different animal. (pardon the pun). It's not just rolling it, it's how hard it seems like they hit the first tree and then additional trees.

[fireflymedic]

I'm not going to put anyone at fault here, because I don't know the whole story. However, most defensive driving/driver's training tell you that if you believe you may hit something, keep both hands on the wheel and hit it straight on. I've been involved in "accidents" where something was hit (not the driver though !) including a 2000 lb elk, drove through a plate glass window which fell off a truck in front of us, MULTIPLE deer, a dog or two and even a turtle. Every time when we were about to hit my partner told me hang on, kept both hands on wheel, and that was that. We never turned an ambulance, though we've been splattered with more than a few animal parts. But we were safe. The one accident I've been in that we turned the truck was due to bad weather in a run that never should have been taken (I was too young and naive at that time to realize this though).

Keep both hands on the wheel, and be safe out there.