Friday, February 3, 2012   HESPERIA • A San Bernardino County Fire ambulance and small vehicle collided as the emergency vehicle was trying to get to a medical aid call Wednesday afternoon, shutting down the intersection for a short time and causing major traffic delays, San Bernardino County Sheriff's and Fire officials said.

Two firefighters and the two occupants of the vehicle were taken to hospitals to be treated for minor injuries, said Deputy Kevin McCurdy of the Hesperia station’s Major Accident Investigation Team.

A little after 2 p.m., the ambulance was traveling north on Highway 395 just south of Main Street with its lights and siren on when, according to McCurdy, a vehicle heading eastbound on Main Street stopped short in the intersection in front of a black pick-up truck. The truck then swerved and struck a white compact car, sending it into the driver’s side of the ambulance.

The driver and passenger of the ambulance were taken to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center and the female driver and her young female passenger were transported to Desert Valley Hospital, officials said.

Northbound motorists were rerouted onto side streets, which caused a major back-up on Poplar Street. Traffic on Main Street and Phelan Road was also delayed.

Thursday, February 2, 2012  By Jeremy Schwartz

An accident in south Birch Bay on Wednesday sent three people, two of them from Blaine, to the hospital and totaled a North Whatcom Fire and Rescue (NWFR) ambulance. 

At about 3 p.m. on February 1, Blaine resident Timothy Howe, 56, was driving south on Kickerville Road in his 2005 Ford Edge when he ran a stop sign and struck a NWFR ambulance traveling west on Bay Road, according to the Washington State Patrol. The force from the accident spun the ambulance, which came to rest on its side in a nearby ditch. 

Howe was injured in the crash and was transported to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center. Howe had been upgraded from serious to satisfactory condition as of February 2, said Amy Cloud, St. Joseph Medical Center communications director. 

Two NWFR firefighters, 37-year-old Anthony Esser, who was driving the ambulance, and his passenger, 30-year-old Joel Sellinger of Blaine, were also injured and transported to St. Joseph Medical Center. They have been treated and released. The ambulance was returning from a call in Birch Bay and was not carrying anyone. 

“We were lucky,” NWFR assistant chief Henry Hollander said. 

The ambulance involved was totaled and was one of three new rigs NWFR had recently bought, Hollander said. Ambulances cost between $140,000 and $150,000, and NWFR’s insurance company will work with Howe’s insurance agent to negotiate a reimbursement amount. 

For the time being, a back-up ambulance from fire station 63 on Birch Bay-Lynden Road will be transferred to the coverage area of the totaled ambulance, which was based out of the fire station on Odell Road in Blaine. Hollander said ambulances being involved in collisions on their way back from calls is relatively rare, but accidents do happen. 

Washington State Patrol does not suspect drugs or alcohol were a factor in the accident, but Howe will be cited for failure to stop. Everyone involved was wearing seat belts.  

Thursday, February 2, 2012  By Moriah Balingit, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A Fayette County man was arraigned today on charges of aggravated assault after police said he swung a shovel at a medic answering a call at a neighboring apartment late Sunday.

Robert Shaner, 58, of Connellsville, is also charged with terroristic threats, reckless endangerment, resisting law enforcement, harassment and public drunkenness.

In a news release, state police said a medic arrived at an apartment complex in the 2700 block of Memorial Boulevard in Bullskin to respond to a call at around 10:20 Sunday night.

While attempting to contact the patient inside, Mr. Shaner, who was in the adjacent unit, came out and started "cursing and swing a shovel" at the medic and threatened to shoot him.

The medic finally got into the patient's apartment. He and another co-worker barricaded themselves inside and waited for police.

When police arrived, Mr. Shaner smelled of alcohol and struggled with officers who attempted to restrain him, police said.

Mr. Shaner was arraigned before district judge Ronald J. Haggerty Jr., who set his bond at $50,000.

Thursday, February 2, 2012  DANBURY, England — A critically ill patient had to be cut from an ambulance after it careered into a ditch while on an emergency call.

Peter Langley, 74, from Great Totham, had been picked up from his home and was being driven to Broomfield Hospital when the ambulance transporting him collided with a van on Main Road, Danbury.

Three paramedics had been escorting him and managed to free themselves but two fire crews were dispatched to release the patient on Friday. The patient is in a stable condition.

Quickly Chelmsford fire officer Martin Hills told the Chronicle: "We arrived very quickly after the accident happened at just after 10.30am. When we got there the paramedics were already out of the ambulance which was down a ditch by the side of the road.

"We proceeded to lift the patient out of the back of the ambulance and he was quickly taken away by a replacement ambulance that had arrived."

The road between Hulls Lane and Riffhams Lane was closed for two hours. The paramedics were also taken to Broomfield Hospital with minor injuries.

"The van and female driver were at the side of the road. She was uninjured," said Mr Hills.

East of England Ambulance Service spokesman Gary Sanderson said: "An investigation has been launched to find out the cause of the collision and we are working closely with Essex Police."



 

Thursday, February 2, 2012  By Steven Barrie

A San Bernardino County fire ambulance was involved in a collision today as it responded to a medical call in Hesperia.

The ambulance was traveling north on U.S. Highway 395 when it was hit about 2:15 p.m. by another vehicle at Main Street, said Tracey Martinez, spokeswoman for the Fire Department.

The two firefighter/paramedics in the ambulance suffered minor injuries and were taken to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, Martinez said.

The two people in the other vehicle suffered moderate injuries and were taken to Desert Valley Medical Center in Victorville, she said.

Sheriff’s traffic investigators are looking into the collision, she said. 

Thursday, February 2, 2012  A STROKE victim’s family have told of their panic after the ambulance he was travelling in overturned in a ditch.

Great Totham pensioner Peter Langley, 74, suffered a stroke on Friday morning and was being taken to Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, when the ambulance collided with a Royal Mail van in Danbury.

Another ambulance had to be sent to convey Mr Langley, and some members of the original crew, to hospital.

When daughter Lizi Langley, who had travelled separately, arrived at the hospital expecting to see her father, she was left wondering where he was.

“When we got there we were all saying ‘where’s dad?’ because we thought he was at death’s door.

“When he did arrive it was with a different ambulance crew and it wasn’t until dad was in and settled that we found out about the ambulance overturning.” 

Thursday, February 2, 2012  By Kevin King

Tulsa -Police arrested a man they say attacked paramedics that were trying to help him. 

The paramedics were called to 10th and Utica Tuesday evening to check on a man down behind a store. When they arrived, they found 29-year-old Johnny Ray Wheeler, who they say awakened and refused medical attention. 

After speaking with Wheeler, the paramedics turned to leave, but police say he followed them and became hostile and began assaulting them. 



Wheeler was booked into the Tulsa County Jail on complaints of public intoxication and assault and battery on medical personnel. He remains in the jail on 5-thousand dollars bond. 

Thursday, February 2, 2012  A SCARBOROUGH man who burgled a neighbour’s flat and hit a paramedic who was trying to help him has been jailed for eight months.



Thomas Dudley, 30, of Trafalgar Square, also admitted selling on a stolen Xbox games console following the burglary on November 15.

He also pleaded guilty to using threatening words and behaviour towards a passer-by in Trafalgar Square on November 24.

During a sentencing hearing at Scarborough Magistrates’ Court, the court heard how Dudley had committed all the offences whilst in drink.

Katy Varlow, prosecuting, said that Dudley had assaulted the paramedic after being found drunk and unresponsive in the street on January 8.

She explained that as the ambulance set off, Dudley, who was on a stretcher, started to sit up.

As paramedics tried to strap him down for his own safety, he reached up and hit one of them on the chin with his right hand.

Mrs Varlow said: “The assault is aggravated by the fact that the victim was a public servant.”

The court also heard that Dudley had been drunk in Trafalgar Square on November 24 and had been abusive to a passer-by, threatening to kick his dog.

Ian Brickman, mitigating, said: “All matters are in one way or another drink related.

“This is not a mitigating factor, but goes some way towards explaining my client’s difficulties.”

He added that Dudley could not remember all the details about what happened on these occasions, but did accept the Crown’s version of events.

Mr Brickman said his client had tried to tackle his drink problems, having been to rehab twice, but this had not been successful.

Dudley was given an eight-month prison sentence.

On delivering sentence, magistrates took into account the 21 days he had already spent in custody. 

Thursday, February 2, 2012  TULSA - EMSA spokesman Chris Stevens says a man pulled a knife on two paramedics around 10:30 last night outside an 11th and Utica QuikTrip.

Posted in the area, the paramedics asked to respond to a man-down behind the local store.

The man, Johnny Wheeler, was unconscious but awoke upon the paramedic's arrival.

After refusing medical attention, Wheeler, followed the paramedics back to their vehicle and brandished a knife.

The paramedics were able to subdue Wheeler and hold him until police arrived.

Wheeler was arrested for assault and battery on medical personnel and public intoxication. Wheeler had slurred speech and smelled of alcohol, according to the jail's booking report.

The paramedics say they don't know why the man approached them. No one was hurt in the incident.

Thursday, February 2, 2012  By Frank Warner

A pickup truck ran into the rear of a car on Route 22 in Whitehall Township, knocking the car into an ambulance Saturday afternoon, police said Tuesday.

Only the car driver was hurt, suffering minor injuries.



Steven D. Martucci, 25, of Zionsville was eastbound on Route 22 at 2 p.m. when the pickup driven by Richard F. Rolen, 20, of Bethlehem hit Martucci's car between the 15th Street and Route 145 exits, state police at Bethlehem said.

Martucci's car hit the median, but bounced right, into the ambulance driven by Colleen M. Duke, 29, of Coopersburg, police said. Then the car hit the median wall.

Neither Duke nor her ambulance passengers Ann M. Kusco, 31, ofTopton and Jason B. Fussleman, 30, of New Tripoli were injured, police said. Police did not say whose ambulance it was.

The pickup truck had severe front-end damage, and the car had a crumpled rear end, police said.



Martucci was taken by Cetronia Ambulance to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, where he was treated and released. 

Thursday, February 2, 2012  By Caleb Hutton
An SUV crashed into an ambulance Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 1, near Ferndale, sending both medics and the SUV driver to the hospital.
The North Whatcom Fire and Rescue ambulance was returning from a call about 3:25 p.m. when a Ford Edge ran through a stop sign at the intersection of Kickerville and Bay roads, clipping the ambulance, said North Whatcom Division Chief Henry Hollander. 
The collision whipped the ambulance 180 degrees and sent it careening into a ditch on Bay Road. The crash crumpled the driver’s side of the SUV and smashed its windshield. 
    
  “To me it sounded like a cannon going off,” said Larry Seigman, who lives in a house a few hundred feet south of the intersection.
The Ford driver, 56-year-old Timothy Howe of Blaine, was bleeding from the head, witnesses reported. Firefighters had to cut him from the SUV to free him. He was taken to St. Joseph hospital, but it wasn’t immediately clear how serious his injuries were.
The ambulance driver, 37-year-old Anthony Esser of Bellingham, and the other medic on board, 30-year-old Joel Sellinger of Blaine, also were injured and taken to the hospital. Their injuries were not life-threatening, Hollander said.
The SUV was travelling southbound on Kickerville, where the speed limit is 35 mph. It went through the stop sign at Bay, where the speed limit is 50 mph, and struck the ambulance that was westbound on Bay, according to the Washington State Patrol.
Howe will be cited for failure to stop, according to Washington State Patrol.
Both he and the men in the ambulance were wearing seat belts. Alcohol was not a factor in the crash, according to state patrol.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012  By Alex Kreitman

BEAUFORT COUNTY, SC (WCSC) -One person was killed and three others were sent to the hospital Tuesday after an ambulance crash in Beaufort County.

According to South Carolina Highway Patrol, the ambulance was traveling north on Old Sheldon Church Road when the vehicle ran off the right side of the roadway, the driver overcorrected and struck a tree.

The Beaufort County Coroner's Office identified the victim as 56-year-old Blandelle Gary, from the from the Yemassee area. She was riding in the passenger seat of the ambulance and was pronounced dead at the scene.


The collision is under investigation by the highway patrol and the patrol's multidisciplinary accident investigation team. The crash occurred about a half a mile down the road off of Highway 17 near a curve.

There were four people in the vehicle, including the driver and a passenger in the front of the ambulance along with a patient and medical worker in the back.

One person was taken to Beaufort Memorial Hospital and the other two were flown to a Savannah hospital.

The conditions of the other victims is unknown at this time.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012  A MAN who allegedly assaulted paramedics and police officers is due to appear before magistrates today. 

Wayne Kielkowski, 29, of Stockford Avenue, Mill Hill was charged with seven offences including grievous bodily harm with intent to a woman paramedic, two counts of actual bodily harm, racially aggravated common assault, criminal damage and racially aggravated threatening behaviour. 

He was charged on Monday after police were called to Barfield Avenue at 12.50pm on Sunday. 

He was held in custody until a hearing at Hendon Magistrates' Court today. 


 

Monday, January 30, 2012  NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Police responded to a crash involving an ambulance Saturday night.

It occurred on a busy stretch of West End, right across from the Amerigo's restaurant.

Life Guard owns the ambulance. It is unclear if they were transporting a patient at the time of the crash.

Investigators have called it a minor crash, but it did include a few injuries. 

Monday, January 30, 2012  A Madisonburg woman was convicted Friday of simple assault for biting an EMT on the arm.

The Centre County District Attorney’s Office said Wendy Richards bit an EMT who was trying to evaluate Richards in the back of an ambulance.

State police in Rockview said at the time they originally responded to her West Street home in August for a report of a domestic dispute.

Police said Richards resisted arrest and locked herself in another room. She then told police she couldn’t breathe, so they called an ambulance.

Richards bit an EMT trying to take her blood pressure in the ambulance, police said.

Richards was sentenced to serve nine months’ probation for the assault.