An American Medical Response (AMR) Ambulance from DeKalb, Georgia was involved in an accident Monday night per local authorities.
Authorities confirm three people are recovering after the motor vehicle collision involving an ambulance in DeKalb County temporarily trapped them.
The accident happened on Monday evening in the area of Moreland Avenue and Bailey Street. A DeKalb Fire spokesperson said that the accident involved an American Medical Response (AMR) ambulance.
Authorities said they were able to remove all three accident victims from the wreckage including two AMR personnel and one other person who was not an employee.
The personnel had what DeKalb Fire Rescue described as minor injuries and the other person in the ambulance was said to have moderate injuries.
Authorities haven’t detailed exactly what caused the accident or whether the non-employee in the ambulance was a patient being transported.
American Medical Response
It is unclear if the ambulance was responding to an incident or not. For years, DeKalb County leadership has been stung by complaints the ambulance contractor, American Medical Response, isn’t living up to the contract for quick responses.
Dunwoody, Brookhaven Doraville, Chamblee; all towns in north DeKalb were especially concerned about slow ambulance times.
Ambulance Accidents
Last week there was another ambulance accident involving a FDNY EMS unit and FDNY Ladder 102 killing the ambulance patient. Additionally two off duty EMS responders were killed early Monday morning in a separate New York motor vehicle incident.
Lincoln County EMS was involved in a head-on collision between a quick response vehicle (QRV) and another vehicle Thursday morning injured a North Carolina paramedic. It was just four days ago that another North Carolina service, the Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Services Agency, was involved in an accident.
Lincoln County EMS (LCEMS) released a statement saying one paramedic was on board the Quick Response Vehicle (QRV) and en route to their base when the QRV was struck head-on by another vehicle at approximately 7:40 a.m. Lincoln County EMS and the East Lincoln Fire Department responded to the crash. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol is investigating.
The paramedic was extricated from the QRV and transported “emergency traffic” to the hospital, according to the agency. The other driver was evaluated at the scene and not transported. No additional information is available on the paramedic’s condition at this time. The paramedic on board was en route to his base station at the time and per the statement does not appear to be responding to a call.
About Lincoln County EMS
Lincoln County is the primary provider of emergency and non-emergency 911 Advanced Life Support transport and paramedic level service for Lincoln County, North Carolina, including the incorporated City of Lincolnton. LCEMS is responsible for the planning, coordination, direction and evaluation of all pre-hospital patient care related services provided within Lincoln County, North Carolina. These services include, but are not limited to, Paramedic level treatment and transportation of the citizens and visitors of Lincoln County that require the interdiction of a modern EMS system and the medical first responder programs that involve patient care, public safety/injury prevention, Mass Gatherings, pre-hospital medical education and disaster preparedness and response as it relates to patient care.
The Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Services Agency was involved in an ambulance accident leaving six people injured, including two emergency medical responders, in a head-on crash between the North Carolina ambulance and a pickup truck Monday morning.
Per officials with the Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Services Agency a pickup truck was going the wrong way when it collided with the ambulance on Interstate Highway 277 near Charlotte at around 2:30 a.m.
Two EMS first responder providers inside the ambulance sustained injuries that were not life-threatening. The ambulance was not carrying a patient when the crash occurred. Four people who were in the pickup truck were transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
About Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Services
Medic operates the busiest 9-1-1 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agency in the state of North Carolina. Contrary to popular belief, Medic is more than just an ambulance service. From SWAT, medical research and the latest in prehospital medical training and equipment, Medic is among the nation’s top 1% of EMS agencies in terms of positive outcomes for Cardiac Arrest victims.
Different from many EMS providers, Medic partners with Charlotte and local fire departments’, first responder unit. Independently operated under Mecklenburg County, Medic’s responsibilities span 544 square miles. With several professional sporting venues, multiple college campuses and universities, two major lakes, a busy international airport, several major business centers and corporations, two nuclear power plants and a population over 1,000,000 people, Mecklenburg County is a diverse and exciting environment that Medic is proud to be a part of.
We know emergency responders battle everything from fires to terrorist threats. They respond to the public’s worst day. Emergency responders, be they fire, EMS, or police are modern-day heroes and should receive all the support they need to thrive outside work. Too often they reject help they need to do their job.
In many instances first responders suffer neglect from a society that does not understand all what goes into the day to day activities in our job. Even close family members and friends may turn a blind eye and deaf ear to what we live at work. Emergency responders face humanity at its worst state on a daily basis.
With all that emergency responders deal with, and given the lack of support from society at large, it is little wonder why many police officers, firefighters, and emergency services staff like paramedics and EMTs become addicted to drugs and alcohol. In fact, about 30 percent of first responders develop mental issues that may lead to drug abuse during their time of service.
Quest 2 Recovery has a mental health program designed to help first responders recover from drug and alcohol abuse.
Reject Help?
It’s well known that emergency responders experience higher levels of stress and emotional trauma that have a negative impact on physical and emotional health. First responders perform a job that requires troubleshooting and mitigating emergencies, mental health issues are all too common for them, like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
PTSD is usually triggered by a specific event – either experienced or witnessed. PTSD symptoms can include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety. Since everyone is different and processes trauma in different ways, symptoms of PTSD can vary from person to person. Symptoms are grouped into four types: intrusive memories, avoidance, negative changes in thinking and mood, and changes in physical and emotional reactions.
It’s also common for first responders to develop substance abuse issues.These can develop slowly and without warning. Working professionals look forward to unwinding after work – sometimes with a drink. Sometimes it’s in the comfort of their own home or sometimes with friends. The same goes for first responders. The difference between the two is the person working a desk job probably doesn’t have trouble sleeping at night, whereas the first responder may be up all night reliving the trauma they experienced during the day. The one drink the first responder uses to unwind after work could turn into drinking an entire bottle so they can fall asleep.
Addiction is something that develops over time, especially when unresolved trauma and stress build up. We hope if you’re a first responder struggling with mental illness and addiction you will not reject help, but will reach out to an organization like Quest 2 Recovery or the All Clear Foundation. It can be challenging for our community front line to emergencies to seek help because they’re worried about the stigma of ‘not being able to handle the job’, but getting help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. Never Forget 9-11 Foundation will always support responders working to overcome the adversity of this job.
