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Emergency vehicle didn't stall, they say
By Ed Meyer
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Wednesday, Aug 27, 2008
An Akron Fire Department emergency vehicle arrived at the hospital only 18 minutes after getting to the scene of a Friday night motor scooter accident that claimed the life of an Akron man, dispatch center records show.
And the city's top fire officials said the emergency vehicle, Med Unit 4, did not break down and stall at the accident scene, as witnesses said earlier this week in leveling criticisms at the department.
Chief Larry Bunner said a firefighter who jumped into the driver's seat inadvertently activated the anti-theft device while three paramedics were busy in the back of the vehicle working on the victim.
But even when the vehicle was restarted, the firefighter in the front seat turned to the medics in the rear and said: ''Are you ready to go now? And they said: 'No, we need a few more seconds,' '' Bunner said.
''Patient care was never in jeopardy, regardless of the med unit not starting. The paramedics did everything they could once they recognized it wouldn't start and immediately called for another med unit,'' he said.
The victim, Terrance Owens of Herberich Avenue in Akron, arrived at City Hospital in Med Unit 4 at 10:02 p.m., computerized fire department records show.
Med Unit 4 was at the accident scene at 9:44 p.m. — four minutes after being contacted by dispatch, the records show.
Owens, 26, died at the hospital on Saturday at 8:25 a.m., a spokesman for the Summit County medical examiner's office said.
The manner of death was ruled an accident and the cause was massive blood loss from blunt-force trauma to the pelvic area and right leg, the medical examiner's spokesman said Tuesday.
Witnesses to the accident near Archwood Avenue and Moore Street criticized the department's actions in calls to the Beacon Journal on Monday, saying it took about a half-hour for the med unit to get under way to the hospital after 911 calls were made.
But fire department records show:
• Dispatch first notified fire units at 9:39 p.m., just two minutes after a flurry of 911 calls began.
• Med Unit 4, the vehicle transporting Owens, was the first to arrive at the accident scene at 9:44 p.m.
• A second fire unit arrived 20 seconds later.
In all, Bunner said, four fire units and two private emergency units were at the scene.
Akron Police Lt. Rick Edwards, the department's spokesman, said seven patrol units were there.
Bunner said he understood why witnesses apparently felt it took too long for the emergency vehicle to get under way to the hospital.
With two victims thrown from the scooter in the dark and debris scattered on the street, witnesses had a heightened sensitivity about the scene, he said.
''Under those conditions, a minute can seem like five minutes,'' Bunner said.
The other victim, who was identified by witnesses as Owens' sister, was taken to Akron General Medical Center. She is listed in serious condition.
Bunner and Deputy Fire Chief Dale Evans said the emergency vehicle's anti-theft device is activated under such scenarios when the keys are removed from the ignition.
One of the paramedics in the back of the vehicle had the keys in his pocket, and as the firefighter in front attempted to get them, Bunner said, he inadvertently hit the break pedal.
The vehicle automatically shut off, and officers used jumper cables from a resident to get it restarted, Bunner said.
''We fully understand the perception that the public has, often times, when things are a little bit challenging,'' Evans said. ''When you see somebody put in the back of the ambulance, you expect that thing to drive away immediately.
''The fact is that we go to considerable expense training these folks to give proper medical intervention. Sometimes it takes a few minutes to do that, and that's what serves the best interests of the patient, instead of just driving as fast as you can to the hospital.''
Edwards said the accident remains under investigation.
According to police records, the scooter was eastbound on Archwood when it was hit broadside by another vehicle attempting to turn onto Moore from Archwood.
Ed Meyer can be reached at 330-996-3784 or emeyer@thebeaconjournal.com.
An Akron Fire Department emergency vehicle arrived at the hospital only 18 minutes after getting to the scene of a Friday night motor scooter accident that claimed the life of an Akron man, dispatch center records show.
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