ADVERTISEMENT
Fiery Crash Rocks Ohio Community
Three EMS personnel and two patients were killed this July in one of the worst ground ambulance accidents in U.S. history, leaving the Antwerp, OH, EMS community-and their colleagues nationally-reeling from the loss.
Sammy R. Smith, 64; Heidi McDougall, 31; and Kelly J. Rager, 25, volunteers with Antwerp EMS, were killed July 20 in a collision with a semi that also claimed the lives of their patients, Robert R. Wells, 64, and Armelda Wells, 60, of Hicksville, OH.
Matt McDougall, 31, the acting president of Antwerp EMS, was hurt in the crash that claimed his wife's life. He was released after treatment at a local hospital. The truck driver, Gerald Chapman, 54, of Indiana, also was hurt.
The 6:59 p.m. crash occurred while the ambulance was transporting the patients from an unrelated wreck; it was headed south on County Road 87 while the commercial truck was traveling east on CR 176. Initial reports indicated there were no stop signs at the intersection, but the Toledo Blade and Associated Press both reported that the ambulance did have a stop. The Blade quoted a witness who said the ambulance slowed, but didn't stop as it passed the sign into the intersection.
Troopers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol reported that the tractor-trailer hit the ambulance broadside, rupturing its fuel tank. The ambulance then burst into flames, leaving its wreckage barely recognizable.
The incident stunned the community of 1,650, where almost everyone is friends or family. Antwerp EMS personnel took a few days off to prepare for the memorial service and grieve. There was no need to put out a call for responders to staff their station-squad members from neighboring jurisdictions were already en route.
Most Antwerp providers went back to answering calls about five days later, but a few said they'd need more time before climbing back into their ambulances.
Nearly 3,000 people, including EMS and fire personnel from around the country, turned out to honor the three responders at a funeral held in the local school gym.
The overwhelming support showed the community the tight brotherhood of the emergency services, says Randy Shaffer, who temporarily assumed McDougall's duties as acting EMS coordinator. Shaffer is also the emergency management director for Paulding County.
"There were pipers and honor guards from everywhere," Shaffer says. "The FDNY EMS pipers were here. The Allen County (IN) sheriff's office provided a motorcycle escort. Three helicopters did flyovers. The procession stretched for more than four miles."
In addition to EMS and firefighters, there were many law enforcement agencies represented, including the Ohio State Highway Patrol and police jurisdictions from within Ohio and beyond.
Supporters also stepped in to help Antwerp EMS recover from its equipment losses.
Since Shaffer took over, he's been busy coordinating with insurance agents and compiling a list of supplies needed to stock a new ambulance. "Right now, I'm up to $29,000 [in donations], and that doesn't include a cot," he says. "We also want to replace the monitor-defibrillator with a new 12-lead."
New Haven Adams Township Fire and EMS in nearby Indiana arranged to loan Antwerp an ambulance, and local hospitals indicated they may help the service purchase one, although no formal talks were underway.
Fire Chief Ray Friend described the support from around the country as unreal. "They say they are feeling our pain," he reported following the crash. "Some have lost members."
Smith was a member of the fire company as well as the EMS squad. He was driving the ambulance when it crashed.
"Sammy was always the first guy to show up," Friend said, "whether it was a fire or a detail or a fund-raiser. It didn't make any difference what it was. He didn't hunt or fish. The fire department was a big part of his life.
"Kelly was in nurses' training, and she was going to graduate soon. She also was studying to be an EMT."
McDougall was a mother of five. "Heidi had just become a paramedic. I think she was on just her third call as a paramedic," Friend said.
-Susan Nicol Kyle, EMSResponder.com
What Should We Take From the Antwerp Crash?
It is difficult, in cases like this, to examine the factors surrounding a crash and reiterate the safety warnings we routinely give without sounding like we're laying blame. Nobody wants to point fingers or tarnish the memory of the deceased-especially a provider as dedicated as Antwerp EMS ambulance driver Sammy Smith, 64, who had devoted nearly two decades to emergency services. We don't know what went through Smith's mind in the seconds before the July 20 crash, and we can't allege specific mistakes. From a general perspective, however, here are some of the issues raised by crashes like this, and some thoughts on operating safely.
- Be wary of intersections
- Know the law
- Is it an emergency?
- The importance of training
Vehicle-safety educators never fail to emphasize the dangers of intersections.
"Intersections are the riskiest place to navigate an ambulance, hands down," says emergency-driving expert Bob Krause, EMT-P, of Toledo-based Emergency Services Consultants, Ltd. "The ambulance operator has to give the motoring public the opportunity to perceive they're there and respond to them. People are generally good about giving the right of way-if they know you're there, and if they know where to put their vehicle."
"When you're driving lights-and-siren, you're requesting the right of way, which means it may take several seconds for the public to yield it to you," says Dave Long, RN, EMT-P, who teaches driver training for North Memorial EMS Education in Robbinsdale, MN. "Sometimes you have to stop and check every lane, looking for those torpedo vehicles about to blow by. We teach to look left, right, left, then right again for every lane you go through."
Every state grants certain exemptions from traffic laws to emergency vehicles. You must know what you can and can't do in your state. In Ohio, emergency vehicles are allowed to proceed against traffic-control devices as long as the driver maintains due regard for the safety of others.
The Antwerp ambulance had a stop sign as it entered the intersection. A witness said it slowed, but did not stop. Smith, for whatever reason, apparently didn't see the semi.
"In Ohio, the motoring public must yield the right of way to an emergency vehicle," notes Krause. "But first the motoring public has to perceive that the emergency vehicle is there."
The passengers being transported in the Antwerp ambulance, a couple in their 60s, were apparently not badly hurt. Robert and Armelda Wells were experiencing back and neck pain following a previous crash.
Consensus wisdom now leans strongly against emergent transport of nonemergent patients.
"Our policy is that you can only return to the hospital lights-and-siren if you can document that it will reduce the morbidity and mortality of the patient," says Long. "The patient has to be in serious or critical condition."
Safe-driving skills don't maintain themselves, and no one can be expected to retain everything they learned three, five or 10 years ago. Regular refreshers can keep drivers focused on the right things.
"My experience has been that refresher training in emergency vehicle operations isn't always people's top priority," says Krause. "You can't let complacency set in. You may have done this 100 times, but it can still rise up and bite you. We recommend having discussions about safety every six months, and training in the vehicle at least annually."-John Erich, Associate Editor
Assisting In Times of Need
A special team trained by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation sent members to assist with various tasks, including helping to plan the memorial service.
The Local Assistance State Team (LAST) operates through the Ohio Fire Chiefs Association, says Bill Wilkins, the coordinator. "We don't go in to take over. We offer our assistance, and they invited us to participate."
The team operates under the incident command system, and assigned people various tasks prior to and during the service. They included someone to handle honor guards, pipers, apparatus and personnel.
The LAST members also help the families with the paperwork involved to apply for benefits.
So far this year, the Ohio LAST crew has assisted with seven line-of-duty funerals, four more than during 2006.
The NFFF received a Department of Justice grant to establish LAST response units in every state.
-SNK
