Our Company's Ambulance Accident 10/7/08

[tydek07]

Company's Ambulance Accident 10/7/08

Well, winter hit us, only last night, and already took one of our trucks. The crew was on the way back from an out of town transfer and rolled over on interstate. They hit a patch of ice, lost control, and in the ditch they went. Crew is ok with only minor injuries and no pt was in back.

The truck rolled onto its right (passenger) side. After dancing on the road and into the ditch that is....

They have the ambulance sitting outside of our main station, so we can all go and look inside of it to see what happens with the contents of the cabinets. Even though they are "secure" they don't tend to stay that way. Its an eye opener to say the least :unsure:

So, here are some pictures to give you an idea what happens:


(Most of the pictures I took did not turn out (finger on lens haha) but here are a few and I will post more when I take them.

Take Care and BE SAFE,

 

[KEVD18]

wth went through the windshield??????

 

[tydek07]

wth went through the windshield??????

That my friend is the lightbar:wacko:

 

[KEVD18]

i thought so but wasnt sure. care to sketch how y'all managed to tear the lightbar off the roof and ram it through the windshield?

 

[tydek07]

i thought so but wasnt sure. care to sketch how y'all managed to tear the lightbar off the roof and ram it through the windshield?

That is the same questoin I am asking myself. I haven't been able to talk to the crew that was in the truck at the time yet. so, idk... but if that is where it truly landed, luck luck luck that it went inbetween the two seats

 

[medicdan]

WOW!
Is the stuff on the cot all from inside the cabinets? Did the cabinet doors magicly open up? Were they not closed? Where is that stuff from?

On the same note, check out some of the videos on youtube of controlled ambulance crashes-- you will see how insecure the seat belts, cot fasteners, etc are. Just imagine unsecured supplies, monitor, etc. throw into the mix-- that, I assume, is what happened in your case, tydek.

I know there are attempts from several major ambulance manufacturers to design safer patient compartments-- but the progress is slow, and unless mandated by legislature, will probably not come to many private ambulance services.

 

[tydek07]

WOW!
Is the stuff on the cot all from inside the cabinets? Did the cabinet doors magicly open up? Were they not closed? Where is that stuff from?

On the same note, check out some of the videos on youtube of controlled ambulance crashes-- you will see how insecure the seat belts, cot fasteners, etc are. Just imagine unsecured supplies, monitor, etc. throw into the mix-- that, I assume, is what happened in your case, tydek.

I know there are attempts from several major ambulance manufacturers to design safer patient compartments-- but the progress is slow, and unless mandated by legislature, will probably not come to many private ambulance services.

Well, not only do those cabinets have sliding doors... but the whole cabinet will open when you pull on it. So I am sure they all just flung open and out came everything.

Monitor and all supplies were secure. Monitor was up towards the front on a shelf secured by a net. Everything was as "secure" as it could possibly get.

I think those cabinets should have some sort of lock on them... so they cannot just fling open.

Take Care,

 

[KEVD18]

WOW!
Is the stuff on the cot all from inside the cabinets? Did the cabinet doors magicly open up? Were they not closed? Where is that stuff from?

On the same note, check out some of the videos on youtube of controlled ambulance crashes-- you will see how insecure the seat belts, cot fasteners, etc are. Just imagine unsecured supplies, monitor, etc. throw into the mix-- that, I assume, is what happened in your case, tydek.

I know there are attempts from several major ambulance manufacturers to design safer patient compartments-- but the progress is slow, and unless mandated by legislature, will probably not come to many private ambulance services.

just in our neck of the woods, you know no private will ever buy something that isnt required by law.

 

[mycrofft]

Not a new idea, safer ambulances.

Suburban conversions were tossing everything out the top in rollovers, modules were coming off chasses (chassises?) on lateral impacts, latches on pretty 3/4 inch thick melamine covered piano hinged sharp edged cabinet doors didn't hold them shut, so they declared we would all have to wear helmets in the back and remain restrained. (spare meh34r. This was in 1978-1981.

 

[jochi1543]

Yuck! I'm assuming the lightbar didn't go through the person on the passenger side, lol. I saw a pic of an accident like that, dude got impaled by a massive pipe right in the chest. Well, I guess at least it's a quick death.:wacko: