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Submit Your Close Call / Near Miss Navigation Home Close Calls Secret List Gallery EMS CloseCalls Drills Firefighter Staffing Personal Survival Safety and survival SOGs Links Modern Fire Behavior About Us Never Forget Fire Communications Pass it On Lodd Calendar LODD STATS Yearly Totals Year Totals 2015 51 2014 87 2013 101 2012 83 2011 81 2010 87 2009 93 2008 118 2007 118 2006 107 "In Memory Of" Click this patch   Custom Search  Contact Info  Email BillyG info@ firefighterclosecalls.com  Email Weekly Drill Suggestions to Drills@firefighter closecalls.com Click Here for The 9/11 Widows' and Victims' Families Association Click Here: Skyscraper Safety Campaign       Click here to read the most recent issue of The Secret List. EMSCloseCalls.com.....   News and related Updates (Also check the most current issue of THE SECRET LIST for related News and Updates-Click Here) DRONE ALMOST HITS SKYLIFE HELICOPTER IN FRESNO  Friday, August 14, 2015   FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A drone almost hit a Fresno SkyLife helicopter on Wednesday. The close encounter happened 1,000 feet in the air, roughly two miles away from Fresno Yosemite International Airport. A call to air traffic control from 1,000 feet above Fresno: "Medivac, we almost got hit by a drone. Just letting you know up here," a SkyLife pilot said in a taped recording. It was a very close call for SkyLife One, for the pilot, the crew and a patient on board. "We didn't see it until it pretty much got right up on us; it passed right behind us," the pilot said. John McGrew is a flight paramedic and he was in the chopper. "The split-second thought is, you know, this guy is a little too close; this could be a serious problem," McGrew said. He says the pilot spotted the drone and dodged with a controlled turn. Still, it almost hit the helicopter's rotor and just missed it by roughly 20 feet. "With the training we receive, we're very aware of what's going on around us," said Vince Ellis, a flight nurse who was also on board. "I think that's what mitigates these risks." According to Federal Aviation Administration rules, the drone was in a no-fly zone. Operators are not allowed to fly above 500 feet or within five miles of an airport. "User error, user ignorance, the user just going off and doing whatever they feel like," said Chris Geiger, who is a UAV enthusiast. Geiger knows the rules and says there's no excuse for getting in the way of a SkyLife helicopter. "It's like driving down the road, seeing an ambulance in your rearview mirror and nobody is pulling over," said Geiger. SkyLife One was on its way to Community Regional Medical Center. Fortunately, the close encounter was brief, and the patient was dropped off safely. Airport police also responded to the call but couldn't find the drone or the operator. The FAA is investigating the case.       Tweet   Several firefighters hurt in Miami crash involving fire truck, ambulance  Wednesday, August 12, 2015   MIAMI - At least half a dozen firefighters were hurt in a crash involving a fire truck and ambulance Tuesday afternoon in Miami. A cellphone video captured the chaotic scene of firefighters breaking through the front windshield of one of their fire trucks, flipped on its side with a crew of four inside. Late Tuesday, the last group of firefighters who were hurt in the crash left Jackson Memorial Hospital. "It sounded like an explosion," Kyera Greene, who witnessed the crash, told Local 10 News. "It was loud and it was scary. We didn't know where the trucks were going to go." The crash happened at Northwest 12th Avenue and Northwest 14th Street, a few blocks west of Jackson Memorial Hospital. The fire truck was on its way to a call when it crashed into an ambulance that was also on a call. Miami Department of Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Pete Gomez said both vehicles had their lights on and sirens sounding. Sky 10 was above the scene as the fire truck was on its side. The front part of the ambulance was sheered off, and a third car was hit when the fire truck spun out. Twelve people were taken to the hospital, including seven firefighters who were on board both fire-rescue vehicles. A grandmother and two children who were inside the ambulance were also taken to the hospital, as were two people in the car. Hours after the crash, a tow truck was able to get the fire truck upright and load the ambulance onto the back of a flatbed truck.       Tweet   Rescue Truck & Fire Truck Crash In Miami  Tuesday, August 11, 2015   MIAMI (CBSMiami) — Rescue crews rushed firefighters to the hospital after a fire truck and a rescue ambulance collided in Miami Tuesday afternoon. Authorities said they crashed near 12th Ave and 13th Street. Firefighters say their fire engine  from nearby station 5 was heading North on 12th avenue responding to a fire, when it crashed into the fire rescue truck from the same station that was transporting a grandmother and her two grandchildren to University of Miami Hospital. The impact was so severe, it smashed the front end of the rescue truck and caused the fire engine to spin, and then flip over on its side. “We saw the fire truck pass us. The next thing we heard was a popping bang sound,” said witness Joanna Brown. “It sounded absolutely horrible. You could hear the grinding twisting metal and a big boom,” said witness Sally Matson. Witnesses watched as firefighters rushed to the scene to transport seven of their colleagues to the hospital. Seven firefighters in total were rushed to trauma at Jackson Memorial Hospital. “At the end of the day, you’ve got to keep your calm and keep your cool. Obviously tensions run a little higher when you know it’s your people involved,” said Asst. Chief Pete Gomez with the Miam Fire Department. “It looked like every single fire rescue person in the City of Miami was here. We saw them transporting people,” said Matson. In an unrelated accident, an adult and one child were taken to the hospital after being involved in a crash at the same intersection. In total 12 people were taken to the hospital. All are listed as being in stable condition.  Two of the children were taken to regular pediatrics out of precaution. None of those being treated have life threatening injuries. The damage had many here fearing the worst. “Casualties, that’s what I would think but I hope everyone’s okay,” said witness Melissa Perry. The assistant fire chief said all of his firefighters wear seat belts, even when rushing to emergencies as they did in the crash. Authorities are not sure who was at fault for the crash but an investigation is underway. The crash is causing a traffic tie up in the area.         Tweet   2 EMS providers treated at hospital after assault by patient - South Carolina  Tuesday, August 11, 2015   By Harrison Cahill The State SUMTER, S.C. — A Columbia man was taken into custody after he assaulted two Emergency Medical Service workers who attempting to treat him Sunday afternoon, according to Sumter police officials. Tonyia McGirt, a department spokeswoman, said 25-year-old William Terrell Hutley has been charged with two counts of first-degree assault and battery and public disorderly conduct in connection with the incident. McGirt said the EMS workers were dispatched to a gas station in the 200 block of South Guignard Drive to reports of a man not feeling well and lying on the ground behind the business. When EMS workers arrived, they approached Hutley who then allegedly attacked them. Sumter police were dispatched to the scene to provide assistance. McGirt said Hutley would not comply with the multiple verbal instructions from the officers and non-lethal force was used to detain him. The EMS workers were transported to local hospitals following the incident to receive treatment for their injuries. One EMS worker was later transported to a Columbia area hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, McGirt said. Hutley was also treated for injuries he sustained in the altercation with first responders and was then transported to the Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center where he awaits a bond hearing. Sumter police are continuing to investigate the altercation.       Tweet   Hickman County ambulance involved in Belle Meade crash - Tennessee  Tuesday, August 11, 2015   NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – An ambulance transporting a patient from Hickman County was involved in a crash Monday in Belle Meade. It happened just before 3 p.m. in the 6600 block of Highway 100. Officials on the scene told News 2 none of the ambulance crew was injured but their patient as well as another driver in the wreck was transported to a nearby hospital. Further details weren’t immediately known.         Tweet   Police: Man overdosing on synthetic marijuana knocks out paramedic with kick - Pennsylvania  Wednesday, August 5, 2015   By Manuel Gamiz Jr. Of The Morning Call A man overdosed on synthetic marijuana early Saturday in Allentown and then fought with emergency responders, knocking out a paramedic with a kick to the head and punching and biting police officers, according to court records. Angel Villafane-Guzman, 35, of the 500 block of North Mohr Street in Allentown, stopped fighting only after an Allentown officer used his Taser to subdue him, according to court records. Villafane-Guzman was charged with three counts of aggravated assault, simple assault and harassment and one count each of resisting arrest, public drunkenness and disorderly conduct. He was arraigned by District Judge Wayne Maura and sent to Lehigh County Jail under $75,000 bail. Roberto Garcia Berrios, 32, of the 1000 block of South Carlisle Street in Allentown, allegedly interfered with emergency crews and also was arrested. He was charged with resisting arrest, obstruction with the administration of law, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness. He was sent to county jail under $10,000 bail. According to a criminal complaint: Allentown police were dispatched at 2:35 a.m. to the 400 block of Pratt Street to assist paramedics with an overdose. An Allentown officer responded and saw Villafane-Guzman walking. He told police he didn't need their help and was walking to a hospital. The officer told him an ambulance was on the way, but he refused to cooperate. Villafane-Guzman continued walking and was joined by Berrios. Police followed the two men from Pratt Street to the 400 block of Chew Street, where they flagged down a paramedic. They told paramedics Villafane-Guzman was a possible synthetic marijuana and alcohol overdose and needed help. As paramedics were treating Villafane-Guzman and placing him in the back of an ambulance, Berrios tried to help, but was interfering. Paramedics and police told Berrios to step back, but he continued to get in the way and yell. Villafane-Guzman became combative, kicking a paramedic in the head and knocking him out. He kicked an officer in the leg and punched another officer in the arm and ribs. Police took Villafane-Guzman out of the ambulance and put him on the ground. He continued to fight, biting an officer in the forearm. As he was about to bite the officer again, another officer used his Taser on him. The paramedic suffered a concussion, and the two officers suffered redness, bruises and scratches. — Manuel Gamiz Jr.       Tweet   Corvette and ambulance collide in Boardman - Ohio  Wednesday, August 5, 2015   BOARDMAN, Ohio (WYTV) – A corvette and ambulance collided Sunday afternoon in Boardman. The accident happened just after 4 p.m. at the intersection of South Avenue and Route 224. Minor injuries were reported, but the couple in the Corvette were able to walk away from the accident. The ambulance left the scene shortly before 4:30 p.m. Traffic was rerouted as crews worked to clear the accident from the road. A cause for the accident has not been determined.         Tweet   Ambulance Involved In Tallahassee Accident - Florida  Saturday, August 1, 2015   A little after 4:00 p.m. Wednesday, traffic began to back up after a Wakulla County ambulance hit a tan Volvo on Capital Circle and Easterwood Drive. Todd Stout and his crew at NAPA Auto Parts say they were busy on a Wednesday afternoon before the accident. "We were inside working and heard the lights and sirens from the ambulance coming from down this way I guess and just heard the impact," said Stout. At the time, the ambulance was carrying a patient to Capital Regional Medical Center. A different ambulance took that person to the hospital while EMT's worked on the driver of the Volvo. Ambulance drivers are taught to enter intersections with caution. "When we come up to a traffic-controlled intersection we yield to that traffic controlled to assure that everybody else was stopped and then we proceed through the intersection," said Wakulla County Fire Rescue Chief Mike Morgan. Traffic on Capital Circle south bound went from three lanes to two causing delays during rush hour. As for Stout, he says it was an odd sight seeing an accident at this intersection. "I don't recall ever having or ever seeing any kind of accident here." No word yet on the condition of the Volvo driver.         Tweet   Hamden man arrested for fight with roommate assaults EMTs in ambulance - Connecticut  Saturday, August 1, 2015   BY SAMANTHA SCHOENFELD HAMDEN–While two people were being taken to the hospital after a fight, police say one of the suspects have assaulted the emergency personnel in the ambulance. On July 30, around 3:30 p.m., Hamden Police responded to an apartment on State Street for a report of a domestic dispute involving a knife. They found a man, Andrew Stolar, lying on the floor with multiple wounds. It was determined that Stolar and his roommate, Shawn WIlliams, got into a physical fight. Both were arrested and transported in separate ambulances to Yale-New Haven Hospital. The ambulance transporting Stolar returned to the State Street home shortly after departing because he had gotten off the stretcher and assaulted two of the American Medical Response EMTs. Police who were still at the scene investigating restrained Stolar. Stolar, 32, was charged with two counts of assault on emergency medical personnel and disorderly conduct. He was held on a $25,000 bond and appeared in court on Friday. Williams, 52, was charged with disorderly conduct. He was held on a $25,000 bond and was also due in court on Friday. Six police officers were taken to the hospital for evaluations for possible blood exposure and/or injuries.       Tweet   Wakulla Ambulance Crashes With Car While Taking Patient to Hospital - Florida  Saturday, August 1, 2015   TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) - A Wakulla ambulance was involved in a crash Wednesday while transporting a patient to a Tallahassee Hospital. According to the Wakulla County Fire Rescue, the ambulance was trying to cross through an intersection on Capital Circle when the crash happened. WCFR says all crew members and the patient were belted into the vehicle, incurred no injuries, and were able to finish transporting the patient. The driver of the second vehicle involved was taken by Leon EMS for non life threatening injuries, says WCFR.          Tweet   Ambulance rear-ended by suspected DUI driver - California  Thursday, July 30, 2015   An American Medical Response (AMR) ambulance was rear ended at 9 p.m. Saturday at the Union and Lathrop roads intersection by an alleged drunk driver who fled the scene on foot. Manteca Police Sgt. Brian Holland said the driver Clinton Samuel Laque, 36, of Manteca fled on foot down Union Road and was reported to police by another motorist who witnessed the crash.  Sgt. Holland said the ambulance paramedic who was attending to an 80 year-old-patient from Lincoln in Placer County was injured when Laque drove his Ford pickup truck into the rear of the ambulance causing moderate damage to the back of the ambulance and to the front of the pickup truck.  Laque was determined to be under the influence at the scene and also charged with hit and run, Holland said. He added that the truck’s speed at the time of the crash was estimated at 40 miles per hour.  The engine in the ambulance quit on the impact. The ambulance was pushed into the center of the intersection. The pickup driver received lacerations to his head and foot, according to police.       Tweet   New York Man Dies In I-91 Accident; Several Other Wrecks Reported Saturday - Vermont  Wednesday, July 29, 2015   By Nancy Nutile-McMenemy, Standard Correspondent There were several motor vehicle accidents in the region Saturday, including one on Interstate 91 that killed a New York man. Trent Costello, 22, of Kingston, New York, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, after the car he was riding in hit a tree on the west side of the highway near mile marker 48, state police said in a news release. The driver of the car, McKayla Park, 21, of Oneonta, New York, was taken to Springfield Hospital with unspecified injuries. Hospital representatives were unable to provide information about Park’s condition last night. Both were wearing seatbelts, police said. Police said Park and Costello were traveling south at about 11:30 a.m. when their car left the west side of the roadway in Weathersfield, overturned and struck a tree. The car, a 2000 Subaru Forester, was totaled. Emergency responders closed the southbound lanes of I-91 at Exit 8 in Ascutney, about three miles north of the crash site, at about noon, diverting traffic onto Route 131. At one point, cars were backed up on the interstate for about a mile and a half. The roadway remained closed for several hours. In addition to the Vermont State Police, the Weathersfield Police Department, Ascutney Volunteer Fire Department, Springfield Fire Department, West Weathersfield Volunteer Fire Department and the Vermont Agency of Transportation responded to the scene, police said in the release. Just as crews were cleaning up the accident on the interstate a call went out for an accident on Route 131 near Exit 8 where a Golden Cross ambulance and another Subaru Forester collided on Route 131. The two-member Golden Cross crew reported the crash at about 3:55 p.m. Neither crew member reported being injured, although the ambulance suffered extensive front-end damage. The green Subaru, which had Vermont plates and was carrying a blue-and-green kayak, came to a stop near a rocky ledge. Photographs from the scene show that at least one of the car’s airbags had deployed and the driver’s side door was removed. The Dartmouth-Hitchcock Advanced Response Team helicopter was called and landed on the interstate at about 4:18 p.m. to transport the driver of the Subaru, whose identity was not released as of Saturday night. Officials at the scene said the Golden Cross crew was responding to a motorcycle accident on Tyson Road in Reading, at the time of the crash. Vermont State Police said Roger Perron, 60, and his wife, Linda Perron, 57, both of Claremont, were aboard a 2012 Suzuki 800 and heading west toward Plymouth, at about 3:45 p.m. when Roger Perron moved to the right to give a fast-moving oncoming vehicle space to negotiate a sharp curve. Perron told police he then hit the sandy shoulder of the roadway and lost control of the motorcycle. Roger Perron was transported to DHMC with non-life threatening injuries. Linda Perron also was transported to DHMC for evaluation. A hospital spokeswoman said both were in stable condition last night. Neither speed nor impairment were a factor in the accident, police said. The motorcycle suffered minor damage. The Reading Rescue Squad also responded to the scene.       Tweet   Knox County ambulance driver indicted in deadly crash - Kentucky  Wednesday, July 29, 2015   KNOX COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - A Knox County Grand Jury has indicted an ambulance driver for a deadly accident. Investigators say Kevin French, 25, was allegedly operating an ambulance "while under the influence of intoxicants" last August on U.S. 25 when he hit Sampson Callender, 14, and two of his friends. Police say Callender and his friends were riding their bikes in the median of U.S. 25 before the wreck. Callender was killed. The two other teens were treated for non-life threatening injuries. French faces four counts. The first count is second-degree manslaughter. The second and third counts are second-degree assault for hitting the other teens with the ambulance. The fourth count is speeding. The indictment says French was driving 70 mph in a 55 mph zone.         Tweet   $1M pay out sought in EMS crash - Florida  Wednesday, July 29, 2015   A Tallahassee elementary school teacher awaits a more than $1-million pay out from Leon County for a car crash with an ambulance that left her disabled. Sen. Bill Montford filed a bill Friday that if approved by the Legislature would direct $1.15 million to Angela Sanford for injuries and damages she suffered in the crash. Sanford had just a left a concert by country act Jason Aldean at the Civic Center on Sept. 5, 2013 when the Buick SUV she was riding in was broadsided by a Leon County Emergency Medical Services vehicle. The ambulance, driven by paramedic Benjamin Hunter, blew through a red light at the corner of West Tharpe Street and North Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, according to a Leon County Sheriff’s Office report. Hunter was found at fault. Even though his lights and sirens were activated, he had the responsibility to slow to a safe speed in order to make sure the intersection was clear, the report said. The ambulance was going 44 mph at the moment of impact, crushing the passenger side where Sanford was sitting. The impact left Sanford in a coma and resulted in permanent cognitive and depressive disorders, permanent double vision, a lacerated liver and 11 fractured ribs among other injuries. Her disability has also left her unable to carry on a career in teaching, the bill said. Medical expenses totaled about $744,000, the bill said. In April, a Leon County judge ruled in Sanford’s favor in a civil case against Leon County. The county already paid $300,000 to the other people injured in the accident, the bill said. The driver, Sanford’s husband, Patrick Sanford, underwent back surgery. The back seat passenger Daniel McNair broke two bones in his left hand.       Tweet   Ambulance collides with wedding procession - Kentucky  Monday, July 27, 2015   By Kayla Pickrell Georgetown News-Graphic An ambulance collided with a wedding procession on Quality Drive and McClelland Circle on Sunday afternoon. Georgetown Police Captain Robert Swanigan said that emergency crews were rushing a crash victim to the hospital shortly after 3 p.m. when a minivan heading to a wedding reception struck the Georgetown-Scott County EMS ambulance on its way to Chandler Hospital in Lexington. The crash victim in the ambulance was being transported from an accident on McClelland Circle and East Main Extended, Swanigan said. The accident happened around 3 p.m. when a blue car and white pickup truck collided. The driver of the blue car was being transported from the accident by EMTs and paramedics when a minivan struck the ambulance. Three paramedics and EMTs, the original crash victim, and two people in the minivan were transported to Georgetown Community Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, Swanigan said. Georgetown Police is investigating both collisions.       Tweet     Prev1234Next        1        2        3        4        5        6        7        8        9        10        11        12        13        14        15        16        17        18        19        20        21        22        23        24        25        26        27        28        29        30        31        32        33        34        35        36        37        38        39        40        41        42        43        44        45        46        47        48        49        50        51        52        53        54        55        56        57        58        59        60        61        62        63        64        65        66        67        68        69        70        71        72        73        74        75        76        77        78        79        80        81        82        83        84        85        86        87        88        89        90        91        92        93        94        95        96        97        98        99        100        101        102        103        104        105        106        107        108        109        110        111        112        113        114        115        116        117        118        119        120        121        122        123        124        125        126        127        128        129        130        131        132        133        134        135        136        137        138        139        140        141        142        143        144        145        146        147        148        149        150        151        152        153        154        155        156        157        158        159        160        161        162        163        164        165        166        167        168        169        170        171        172        173        174        175        176        177        178        179        180        181        182        183        184        185        186        187        188        189        190        191        192        193        194        195        196        197        198        199        200        201        202        203        204        205        206        207        208        209        210        211        212        213        214        215        216        217        218        219        220        221        222        223        224        225        226        227        228        229        230        231        232        233        234        235        236        237        238        239        240        241        242        243        244        245        246        247        248        249        250        251        252        253        254        255        256        257        258        259        260        261        262        263        264        265        266        267        268        269        270        271        272        273        274        275        276        277        278        279        280        281        282        283        284        285        286        287        288        289        290        291        292        293        294        295        296        297        298        299        300        301        302        303        304        305        306        307        308        309        310        311        312        313        314        315        316        317        318        319        320        321        322        323        324        325        326        327        328        329        330        331        332        333        334        335        336        337        338        339        340       Page 1 of 340 [ Total items: 5095]    Search for news stories : Select Year      Select Year     2015     2014     2013     2012     2011     2010     2009     2008     2007     2006     2005     2004     2003     2002     2001     2000     1997     1972     1940     1938  Select Month      Select Month     Jan     Feb     Mar     Apr     May     Jun     Jul     Aug     Sep     Oct     Nov     Dec  Select Category      Select Category     News Firefighter Close Calls     Pass It On     The Secret List     News Ems Close Calls     Close Calls - 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