Responder Gets Probation for Fatal N.C. Accident

[News]

Joseph David Fancher must also pay restitution of $9,660.

View the full article

[Just Plain Ruff]

Look at the last paragraph. The light was green, then turned yellow and then red. He said he wasn't goign to be able to stop the ambulance in time.

Remember this folks, the ambulance is not like your car, it does not stop quickly. For those new EMT's who are going to be driving soon.

READ this article and learn by it.

[JakeEMTP]

Correct Capt. A stale green (one that's been green for awhile) light has the possibility to turn amber and then red as you get closer.. As professional drivers, we should be aware of this. A good rule of thumb is to anticipate the light is going to change, lift your foot of the fuel peddle and hover over the brake. As the good Capt. stated, an ambulance is much heavier and takes longer to stop than a car.

[Arctickat]

I tend to keep an eye on the crosswalk light. If it stops flashing I prepare to stop. I am curious though. This guy was trying to beat the light which had turned red by the time he arrived. Usually there is a second or two after your light turns red before the other light turns green. Even if there wasn't, there had to be time for the other driver to accelerate from the stop and into the intersection. I guess what I'm thinking is that he either badly misjudged the distance to the stop light and it was red for a few seconds before he even entered the intersection. Or he was going much too fast to stop at all.