Trending Topics

Ala. medics rush drowning victim to hospital on foot after ambulance breaks down

Decatur Morgan EMS personnel continued on foot with the 2-year-old patient after their rig broke down a quarter of a mile away from the hospital

By Bill Carey
EMS1

MORGAN COUNTY, Ala. — Decatur Morgan EMS officials confirmed that an ambulance broke down while transporting a drowning victim in Morgan County.

On July 1, a 2-year-old girl was being transported to Cullman Regional Medical Center by Decatur Morgan Hospital-EMS after she was discovered in a pool, WAFF reported.

The department reported that the ambulance broke down while on the way to the hospital. Paramedics then carried the 2-year-old on a cot, continuing CPR as they made their way on foot to the hospital.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the two-year-old drowning victim from Falkville. While transporting the child to Cullman Regional Medical Center, the transport vehicle broke down about a quarter of a mile from the hospital,” the department stated to WAFF. “Paramedics unloaded and continued on foot with the child on the cot, while continuing to perform CPR. The cause of the vehicle breakdown is not known at this time.”

The child was pronounced deceased at Cullman Regional Medical Center.

Trending
More than 100 paramedics staffed the three-day event, using foot teams to reach and treat patients in dense crowds
EMS personnel, dispatchers and other first responders are speaking more openly about PTSD, burnout and stigma as more agencies expand mental health programs
Rosendale police said a loaded tri-axle dump truck lost control and flipped onto an oncoming vehicle, trapping three people inside
Weeks after suffering a massive heart attack at home, Shayne South returned to Lynchburg Fire Station 7 to thank the firefighters and paramedics who revived him and rushed him to lifesaving treatment