State police will charge a male patient they didn’t identify with aggravated assault, simple assault, resisting arrest and criminal mischief after he went berserk in an ambulance Saturday afternoon in Blair County.
The patient slightly injured two AMED workers and kicked but didn’t injure a state police officer.
AMED was taking the patient from Nason Hospital in Roaring Spring to Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown when the patient became combative near Cross Keys, state police said.
Driver Michael Kline heard the disturbance, pulled off and came back to help paramedic Shawn Melley, AMED Deputy Director Gary Watters said.
The patient kicked Kline in the chest, then punched and elbowed Melley, knocking him out the side door that Kline had opened to get into the back of the vehicle, state police and Watters said.
The patient then threw a 20-pound, $20,000 heart monitor through the back window, hitting Kline in the head.
Unable to control the patient, the ambulance workers called state police.
Cpl. Brian Ianuzzi arrived and Tasered the patient, and the transport continued – this time to Altoona Regional Health System, Altoona Hospital Campus.
But the patient began acting up again, Kline stopped the ambulance and Ianuzzi tried to calm the patient down, state police said.
The patient kicked Ianuzzi in the forearm, and Ianuzzi Tasered him again.
The transport resumed and reached Altoona Hospital, from which the patient was taken to Memorial Medical Center without incident, state police said.
Kline missed one shift at work as a result of the fracas, Watters said.
Watters said he didn’t know what set the patient off, although he was agitated before the transport began.
AMED workers have dealt with ”minor fracases” before, Watters said, ”but nothing of this magnitude.”
After the incident, the workers were ”a little lathered,” he said. ”They handled it very well.”
AMED will have the monitor checked before restoring it to service, Watters said.
The melee damaged two doors on the ambulance.
The trooper who investigated the incident was not available late Sunday afternoon to explain why he didn’t provide the name of the patient.
Watters declined to identify the patient because of medical confidentiality laws.
He guessed that those laws – and the possibility that the patient’s combative behavior was related to his medical condition – may have led police to withhold identification.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 949-7038.
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