Trending Topics

Md. EMS provider runs over patient, investigation underway

A Prince George’s County Fire/EMS crew was responding in low-visibility winter conditions, investigators said

download-6.jpg

By Leila Merrill

FORESTVILLE, Md. — A Prince George’s County Fire/EMS crew ran over a patient while en route to help in the early morning hours on Jan. 7, WUSA9 reported.

It was snowing, and visibility was poor, investigators said in reports that were not previously public until now.

The patient survived but had lower-body injuries.

“As our crews were responding to the scene, the patient was struck by the ambulance,” Prince George’s County Fire/EMS spokesperson Veronica Marshall wrote in a statement. “According to testimony from our crews, as well as a review of dashcam footage, as the unit approached the scene, visibility was poor due to darkness, the wet, snowy road conditions, and high beams from opposing vehicles. The ambulance was traveling less than 10 miles per hour at the time of the accident, and there was no indication it had struck the patient prior to being flagged down by the 911 caller. When crews exited the ambulance, they immediately initiated medical care.”

Prevent: 5 tips to avoid an ambulance collision with a pedestrian

Dispatch records show that the patient was transported to a hospital in life-threatening condition by another ambulance crew.