Deadly Ambulance Crash Tucson Az, A Reason No Passengers Allowed

[spenac]

Well 3 dead including a passenger in the ambulance. This is why we say no to anyone but the patient being with us. It is dangerous for us no need to add more potential victims to the equation.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...9tZDUgD96H1NL00

"Police say a 71-year-old man in the ambulance, a friend of the person being transported, died at the scene. Two medics and the patient suffered minor injuries."

http://www.kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=9888006&nav=HMO6

[crotchitymedic1986]

I am sorry, if my tax dollars paid for your ambulance, I will ride up front with you. If for no other reason, to protect my family member from the ambulance personnel. Hate to say it, but after reading all of these news stories about patients being molested, beaten, or injured in ambulance crashes, there is no way I would leave anyone i loved, alone in the back of an ambulance.

[spenac]

I am sorry, if my tax dollars paid for your ambulance, I will ride up front with you. If for no other reason, to protect my family member from the ambulance personnel. Hate to say it, but after reading all of these news stories about patients being molested, beaten, or injured in ambulance crashes, there is no way I would leave anyone i loved, alone in the back of an ambulance.

No you wouldn't and if you tried to force your way you would be arrested. We will not move the ambulance till you are removed. So you just harmed the person you claim to love by being unreasonable.

Even when we take a parent they ride in the cab not in the patient compartment. They have to be seatbelted.

[cynical_as_hell]

No you wouldn't and if you tried to force your way you would be arrested. We will not move the ambulance till you are removed. So you just harmed the person you claim to love by being unreasonable.

Even when we take a parent they ride in the cab not in the patient compartment. They have to be seatbelted.

WAY TO GO SPENAC!!!! Personally i believe that no one needs to be in the ambulance other than the employees and the patient. Anyone else that wishes to can meet the ambulance at the hospital. Despite the fact that we are transporting somebody's loved one, the common community needs to realize that we still have a job to do.

[crotchitymedic1986]

There is no reason a family member can not ride up front, seatbelted, unless you have something to hide.

[dallasdame]

Humm.....and just what goes on in the back of your ambulance Crotchity? It seems you are pretty adimate about there contantly being questionable things happening....... Its common for people to project themselves and their activities on to other people to make them feel better about what they are doing.

Usually for professional EMTs, the thought of being assulted in some way isn't the 1st thing that comes to mind when their loved one needs to be transported. It's who's going to be doing the job and are they good enough to keep my loved one alive until they make it to where they need to go.

Not everyone has a sick mind.

[spenac]

There is no reason a family member can not ride up front, seatbelted, unless you have something to hide.

Nothing to hide and nothing for a friend or family member to see.

Liability. Guess what the dead persons family will sue the ambulance serice even though the wreck was the other persons fault because of deep pockets.

Also family member freaks out and causes crash or interfers with treatment.

So guess what try and force your way into my ambulance you just got a one way ticket to jail.

[Dustdevil]

There is no reason a family member can not ride up front, seatbelted, unless you have something to hide.

What about the emergency room? Does the medical staff have a right to exclude family members from the trauma suite?

Nobody is jumping into my ambulance without breaking a window, because ALL doors are locked at ALL times. Therefore, if you get in, you're going to jail. And if you follow my ambulance, you are going to jail for that too.

[cynical_as_hell]

There is no reason a family member can not ride up front, seatbelted, unless you have something to hide.

nothing to hide, they just become a liabililty and are often times annoying and distracting. For example, I had a mom ride in with me recently, somebody who claims to be so concerned over her daughter, yet while enroute to the hospital, she found it ok to make multiple phone calls on her cellphone while her daughter was in the back of the rig. Doesn't seem to me that she was that concerned.

What about the emergency room? Does the medical staff have a right to exclude family members from the trauma suite?

ABSOLUTELY!!!! AGAIN, THE COMMON COMMUNITY NEEDS TO REALIZE AND ACCEPT THE FACT THAT AS MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, IN ALL ASPECTS, WE STILL HAVE A JOB TO DO!!!!!

[steve_emt_68]

I personally encourage family members to ride with me. My department performs interfacility transports that last 70 to 100 miles. Having a family member riding in front (seatbelted in) has a calming effect on the patient, eliminates family members from riding our butts for the 100 mile trip, keeps false complaints from being filed against our crews and in the rare case allows family to be with their loved one if they should pass on. I have nothing to hide and therefore have no concerns about "the family" seeing what is going on in the back of the unit.

I always size up the family member wanting to ride with us, I inform them of where they need to ride and that they must maintain control if things go wrong.

I took a patient from a local hospital to the regional specialty facility. The patient had a 9cm AAA and this was last ditch effort to save the patient. WE allowed the spouse to ride with us so she was at the hospital when her spouse was. She was involved in lifesaving decisions as soon as the patient arrived. Had our patient expired en route, she could have said her goodbyes. We hid nothing and she appreciated the extra time with her loved one. The spouse knew the risks of the trip and was prepared for her husband to pass. Overall, I would not change a thing and I would hope that this would encourage others to review all benefits of having family with you.