The Leary Firefighters Foundation

Hospital patient steals ambulance, crashes into PTAP on 13th Street – Georgia

Friends of LFF — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:02:41 +0000

By ALAN RIQUELMY - ariquelmy@ledger-enquirer.comA hospital patient accused of taking an ambulance from The Medical Center and crashing it into a 13th Street business late Monday did it because âthe voices inside his head told him to steal the ambulance and wreck it,â Columbus police reports state.Police say Johnnie Carter, 36, of Seale, Ala., dragged a paramedic some 20 feet before he fled the hospital about 11:50 p.m. Carter wrecked the ambulance moments later at PTAP, 306 13th St. He was arrested at the scene and is at the Muscogee County Jail pending his Columbus Recorderâs Court hearing today, said police Lt. William Orlich.The ambulance driver was at hospital doing some paperwork with the ambulanceâs engine running when Carter, described in police reports as a psychiatric patient, stepped outside, Orlich added.âA patient walked out, jumped in the ambulance and took off,â he added.Judy Walsh, The Medical Centerâs manager of corporate communications, said the suspect was a patient in the emergency room. She had no more information about him.Paramedics with Mid Georgia Ambulance had just unloaded a 911 patient and the ambulance was locked at the time. The suspect forced his way inside the ambulance by breaking a window, said Amy Abel-Kiker, the ambulance companyâs public relations director.âThe paramedics were following the absolute correct protocol,â Abel-Kiker said. âIt was very cold outside. The engine was running, but it was locked. The paramedic did have the keys in his pocket.âThat paramedic tried to stop the ambulance as Carter drove away, and was dragged 20 feet before being thrown from the vehicle, Orlich said. Abel-Kiker said the paramedic suffered no serious injuries.Police say Carter jumped a curb and fled south on 10th Avenue, toward 13th Street.About five minutes later, Carter drove the ambulance into PTAP, which is on 13th Street near Veterans Parkway.âHe ran the ambulance into the building,â Orlich said.The ambulance crashed into a recently renovated showcase window featuring a BMW 7 Series, PTAP owner Jason Gamache said.Gamache estimated the damage to the building at $35,000. The BMW owner told police $80,000 in damage was done to the vehicle.The ambulance had $115,000 in damage, police said.âThey had the whole of 13th Street shut down,â said Gamache, who went to his auto accessory business when he learned of the crash.Gamache had added new lighting and carpet to the showcase about a week ago.âWeâre a little bummed we just put that effort into it,â Gamache added. âThings like this happen when you own a business. You have to look at it in a positive light. Itâs just material items. Itâs not that big of a deal.âOfficers found Carter sitting inside the business with cuts to his forehead. Police took him back to the hospital and then to jail.Carter is charged with aggravated assault, theft by taking motor vehicle, second-degree criminal damage to property and traffic violations, Orlich said.Carter is being held without bond, jail officials said.Read more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2012/02/22/1942091/the-medical-center-hospital-patient.html#storylink=cpyRead more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2012/02/22/1942091/the-medical-center-hospital-patient.html#storylink=cpyRead more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2012/02/22/1942091/the-medical-center-hospital-patient.html#storylink=cpy…

Ambulance en route to Newark hospital crashes when struck by car – New Jersey

Friends of LFF — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:02:37 +0000

By Tomas DingesAn ambulance rushing a patient to a Newark hospital slammed head-on into a tree last night after a car hit it as it went through a red light, officials and witnesses said.The ambulance was crossing William Street on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard around 7:15 p.m. when it was struck, said Stacie Newton, a spokesman for the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.The patient being sped to University Hospital was treated and did not suffer further injuries in the accident, Newton said. In addition, the driver and the two other emergency medical technicians on the rig were taken to the hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.The Rev. Philip Waters, who left the nearby Newark Abbey after hearing the sirens of first responders, said the driver of the car, a late-model BMW, told him he entered the intersection on a green light from William Street.At about 7:45 p.m. the ambulance was being extricated by a tow truck from a 2-foot-wide tree on the northwest side of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. A black BMW with front-end damage was nearby on another tow truck.The ambulance driver was briefly trapped in his seat and had to be removed by other emergency workers, who took off the ambulance door, Newton said. The accident is under review by hospital officials. …

Suspected drunken driver accused of rear-ending ambulance – Texas

Friends of LFF — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:02:36 +0000

By Eva Ruth MoravecSchertz police have accused a man of rear-ending an ambulance while driving drunk.Mario Alberto Torres, 27, was held in the Guadalupe County Jail on one count of accident involving damage to a vehicle greater than $200 and driving while intoxicated. A judge set bail at $4,000.Torres had brought his car to a complete stop on Interstate 35 near Olympia Parkway around 4:30 a.m. Sunday when a Schertz EMS ambulance passed it, according to a news release.Torres followed it and sped up as the vehicles approached the Cibolo Creek bridge, rear-ending it and damaging his car, then swerved around the vehicle, the release states. The EMS crew members were uninjured. They lost sight of the car but Schertz police Cpl. A.J. Arriaga spotted it near FM 1103, the release states.Schertz police spokesman Brad Bailey said it took Arriaga about two miles to stop Torres near Engel Road in Comal County.âTorres looked half-asleep and was slumped forward in the driver’s seat,â Bailey’s release states, and once Torres got out, he was unsteady and Arriaga noticed he had both urinated and vomited on himself.He failed field sobriety tests but refused a breathalyzer test, and Schertz does not have a no-refusal policy that could have forced him to submit to a blood draw, in part because the city spans three counties, Bailey said. Drunken driving âwill not be tolerated regardless of the county, period,â Schertz Police Chief Don Taylor said, according to the release.emoravec@express-news.net…

ER patient steals ambulance then crashes into PTAP – Georgia

Friends of LFF — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:02:28 +0000

By Taylor KinkadeCOLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) -A patient at the Columbus Regional Medical Center is now spending time in the Muscogee County Jail after police say he stole an ambulance from the Emergency Room, drove away and then crashed into a business.Columbus police officers responded to PTAP, Perfect Touch Automotive Playground, located at 306 13th Street in Columbus just before midnight Monday in reference to a single vehicle crash. When officers arrived on the scene they found an ambulance that had crashed into the side of the business.Upon further investigation police say they found the driver of the wrecked ambulance, 36 year old Johnnie Carter, had actually stolen the vehicle from a Mid Georgia Ambulance driver outside the hospital’s ER. Reports show the vehicle was valued at $115,000.Police reports show Carter drove down Center Street, turned right onto 13th Street, where they say he lost control and ran into the building that sits on the corner of 3rd Avenue and 13th Street.Police reports also show the driver of the ambulance was thrown from the vehicle before Carter drove away.Police arrested Johnnie Carter and charged him with theft by taking a motor vehicle, aggravated assault, criminal damage to property in the 2nd degree, crossing a center line, and striking a fixed object. He is being held in the Muscogee County Jail until his Recorder’s Court hearing Wednesday at 8 a.m. …

Stolen ambulance crashes into business – Georgia

Friends of LFF — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:02:26 +0000

By Brandice HudsonCOLUMBUS, Ga. –Columbus police say a psychiatric patient took off with an ambulance, crashing it into a business on 13th Street.âLanded right in our building,â said Jason Gamache, Owner of PTAP.Tinting and auto accessory store PTAP is known for having some “tricked out” rides on display in front of the shop on 13th street, but the owner says the scene Monday night was one they could do without.âDefinitely adds another obstacle, a challenge, but we’re ready for it,â said Gamache.According to police, Johnnie Carter, a 36-year-old hospital patient stole an ambulance from the medical center around 11:45 p.m. and crashed into the auto shop just moments later. A spokesperson for Mid Georgia Ambulance says the paramedic was tending to a patient outside the vehicle, when Carter broke a window to get behind the wheel. She says the ambulance was running, which is standard for operation, and the doors were locked. The next day, workers were out repairing damage to the front showroom. âWe’re not stopping, so this isn’t going to slow us down a bit. My staff is ready to rock and roll,â said Gamache.The owner of PTAP says tax season is one of the busiest times of year at the shop and while the accident was unexpected, business is still booming and he has an optimistic outlook.âMy first reaction was hoping that everyone was okay and that nobody was hurt, which was the case so I was very excited to hear that. Materialistic things are no big deal. Everything can be replaced, but a life is something that you can’t replace so I was excited that nobody was hurt in the accident,â said Gamache.Carter, the man who was arrested, faces several charges including aggravated assault, and theft by taking a motor vehicle. He’s scheduled to appear in Columbus Recorder’s Court Wednesday morning. …

Georgia medic dragged by stolen ambulance

Friends of LFF — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:02:07 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ga. â A medic was dragged 20 feet when he tried to stop an ambulance being stolen in Ga.on Monday.The responder was doing paperwork inside The Medical Center in Columbus, when a psychiatric patient got into the vehicle and attempted to drive it away, according to The Ledger-Enquirer.The medic gave chase, and was dragged along before being thrown by the vehicle, the report said.Shortly afterward, the patient crashed the ambulance into a building and he was arrested. The medic was not seriously injured in the incident, and the patient suffered cuts and bruises to his forehead, according to police. &nb…

BATTALION FIRE CHIEF STRUCK ON I-75-CLOSE CALL/MINOR INJURIES

Friends of LFF — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:02:10 +0000

Richmond (KY) Battalion Chief, Sidney Lynch was on the scene of a vehicle fire on the
Eastern Bypass at Killarney Lane and I-75 last night when it happened-he was
alerted that the car was coming. He had time to move enough out of the way but
was still struck by the mirror.Chief Lynch was treated at the hospital for an arm injury, and Richmond Fire Chief,
Buzzy Campbell is relieved because it could have been worse, “If it had hit him
facing the other direction, he could have been hurt very badly.” The driver that hit Lynch, Solomonworth McQuire was arrested and charged with
wanton endangerment. Battalion Chief, Lynch is recovering from those injuries and is expected to
return to his normal schedule.Officials say that McQuire was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol
and likely took his eyes off the road or became distracted by something in the
car….

Choosing to wear SCBA is choosing life

Friends of LFF — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:24:36 +0000

I lost my dad, who was not a firefighter, to cancer 20 years ago. Since then, I've known too many of our brother and sister firefighters who have had to go through the same terrible experiences my father suffered; sometimes successfully, but too often not. That said, while I've always taken it as a given that I should wear my SCBA on my back, like many of us I haven't always been "100 …

Tortoises’ heating pad sets garage ablaze in Calif.

Firerescue1 Daily News — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:24:41 +0000

By Ellen Huet San Francisco Chronical SAN FRANCISCO — An Alameda County Fire Department firefighter was treated for minor injuries suffered in battling a garage fire Tuesday in Castro Valley that was sparked by a malfunctioning heating pad for a pair of tortoises, officials said. The fire began in a detached garage on the 17400 block of Almond Road around 3 a.m., said Battalion Chief Dan O'Hara …

Ill. firefighters host parade for boy with cancer

Firerescue1 Daily News — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:03:30 +0000

By Mick Zawisklak The Chicago Daily Herald LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. — Fourth Avenue in Libertyville was awash with emergency equipment Monday evening, but it wasn't a fire that brought the responders. Firefighters and police officers from 13 jurisdictions were on a special call, a grand show of support for a 4-year-old boy who faces a long and difficult journey. Pulsing lights illuminated a crowd …