THREE emergency service vehicles were hit by a car as crews responded to a series of accidents near Morpeth.
Police, fire and ambulance staff were called to the A1 near Clifton after three cars lost control on black ice.

But as crews tended to the accidents an oncoming car braked and lost control, skidding into an ambulance, police vehicle and fire service car.
 
The accident happened on Saturday morning as freezing fog and black ice made conditions treacherous.

Ambulance staff were first called to the area just before 7.40am by a patient transport services driver who saw a car go off the road near the Clifton junction.

Two other drivers suffered a similar fate and a paramedic crew from Morpeth attended, along with the police and fire service.

Police were in the process of closing a section of the road and one of the casualties had just been put in an ambulance to be taken to Wansbeck Hospital with back pain when a car travelling north ploughed into the back of the ambulance and other vehicles.

The ambulance staff suffered whip-lash type injuries and the driver of the car which crashed into the accident scene had a head wound, described as not life threatening.

The North East Ambulance Service sent three back-up crews to take the casualties to Wansbeck Hospital.

The road was closed while the vehicles were recovered and the road was gritted.

Highways signs were updated and officers patrolled the area to encourage motorists to slow their speed.

The accidents happened as police warned drivers to take extra care and only travel if necessary.
 

A paramedic who was called to give assistance to the Lib Dem AM Mick Bates after a drunken night out says he was physically assaulted by him.

The medic, who is planning to press charges, said he was punched in the chest by an "abusive" Mr Bates outside a Cardiff restaurant last month.

The Montgomeryshire AM said he does not remember what happened and apologised for difficulties he may have caused.

He has stood down as chair of the assembly's sustainability committee.

Mr Bates has also stepped down from party front bench duties.

The paramedic, who does not want to be named, said he was part of an ambulance crew called to Charlestons Brasserie in Caroline Street, Cardiff, at around 0230 GMT on 20 January.

Mick Bates has been suspended from his role as one of the party's senior spokesmen


He said the crew found Mr Bates, the Lib Dem's spokesman on sustainability and rural affairs, had a minor head wound which it was said he sustained falling down the stairs while being ejected from the premises.

According to the paramedic, Mr Bates, who admits he had been drinking heavily, delivered a tirade of verbal abuse, and punched him in the chest while he was trying to administer first aid.

He said a police officer was called into the ambulance to give Mr Bates a warning, but the AM was not arrested.

The paramedic said that the abusive behaviour continued at the accident and emergency department, where Mr Bates was kept under observation by security.

He said: "When the ambulance got there, the male was very aggressive, verbally aggressive, lashing out with his both arms, telling us to clear off.

"It was at that point we were approached by another male who said that the injured party was an AM who worked for the Welsh Assembly Government.

"We tried to assess the injuries on the gentleman, to which we had nothing but abuse."

The paramedic said the team decided to take Mr Bates to hospital but he resisted attempts to put him into the ambulance in a wheelchair.

He said: "We continued to try and get the appropriate care for the gentleman as he had a minor head injury.

"We established that the gentleman wasn't knocked out at any point whatsoever by an independent witness.

"On trying to obtain observations on the gentleman, he's grabbed out at a jacket, punched myself to the chest and grabbed my colleague's wrists."

He said a police officer was called into the ambulance at this point and Mr Bates was issued with a warning.

'Babysat'

"We arrived at the (University of Wales Hospital) with him still swearing, being abusive and, again, in the hospital he had to be babysat in the centre of the resuscitation area by security due to his behaviour."

On Monday, Mr Bates issued a statement.

"On the night in question I fell down some stairs," he said.

"As a result of my fall I have no recollection of events thereafter, until I came round in the accident and emergency department of Cardiff's Heath Hospital, when recovering.

"I am extremely grateful to the paramedics and hospital staff who gave their care and attention, I do not underestimate the fantastic work these professionals do on a daily basis and value the care I was given.

"I repeat my unreserved apology for any concern or difficulty I may have caused that night."

The Liberal Democrats have said they are investigating they allegations about Mr Bates.

Welsh party leader Kirsty Williams had said she was trying to establish the facts and that she had understood Mr Bates had been knocked unconscious, suffering a serious head injury.

She had said: "I've spoken to Mick Bates - he's apologised if his behaviour following the incident has caused any concerns."

In a statement on Monday, a spokesperson from the Welsh Liberal Democrats said: "Following a conversation between Kirsty Williams and Mick Bates they have agreed that he will be relieved of his front bench duties and his chair of the sustainability committee whilst this matter is being investigated.

"We have informed the [Cardiff and Vale] university health board and ambulance service that both Mick and the party will fully co-operate with any investigations.''

By ABC-7's Marissa Monroy

Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of a medevac helicopter crash that killed three men Friday night.

According to Fort Bliss officials, the crash happened shortly before 7:30pm, southeast of the McGregor Range base camp.

Pilot William Montgomery and paramedics John Sutter from Las Cruces and Anthony Archuleta of El Paso were the only ones on board when their helicopter went down.  All three were civilians.

It was business as usual for soldiers rolling through McGregor Range, but just past the entrance gate, a mystery looms over why the helicopter came crashing down during an exercise.

Military officials told ABC-7 the chopper was preparing to land when it suddenly burst into flames.  The helicopter was an American Eurocopter belonging to Southwest Air Ambulance out of Las Cruces.

McGregor Range has a 7800-foot airstrip and on Saturday afternoon, helicopters could be seen taking off and landing.  Fort Bliss contracts with Southwest Air Ambulance to provide emergency medical services.

According to investigators, the night sky was clear when the simulation exercise was taking place, and that the pilot was in contact with the military's communication center.

Following the crash, officials with the aircraft's operator released a statement, saying, "There are many questions that need to be answered. Right now our focus is on the families who are experiencing this huge loss."

On Saturday, investigators with both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board came to El Paso to look through the wreckage and try to piece together what may have happened.

EL PASO -- The three-member crew of a Southwest Med Evac helicopter died Friday night when it crashed during a training flight at McGregor Range.

The pilot, William Montgomery of Avondale, Ariz., and two paramedics, John Sutter of Las Cruces and Anthony Archuleta of El Paso, were killed when the helicopter crashed as it prepared to land, said officials of Southwest Med Evac, a division of Omniflight Helicopters Inc.

The helicopter was not transporting patients. Further details of the crash were sketchy Saturday.

"The cause of the accident is unknown at this time," Anthony DiNota, president and chief operating officer of Omniflight, said in a statement. "There are many questions that need to be answered."

The crew was participating in a training exercise involving a simulated medical evacuation. Friday was the second day of the two-day exercise, Omniflight officials said.

Federal Aviation Administration spokes man Lynn Lunsford said the pilot and the paramedics were in a Eurocopter AS 350, which had flown from the El Paso International Airport to McGregor Range.

The training exercise had gone as planned and Montgomery radioed to company operators to say he intended to land the aircraft and anticipated no problems, Lunsford said.

Investigators from the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board arrived in El Paso on Saturday to determine what happened after Montgomery's radio dispatch that could have led to the crash. Omni flight officials were also at the crash site on Saturday.

"We're putting a team together to assess the wreckage," Lunsford said.

Southwest Med Evac is contracted with Fort Bliss for emergency medical services.

Weather was clear just before 8 p.m. Friday, and the aircraft was equipped with night-vision goggles, satellite navigation, a radar altimeter and GPS, Omniflight officials said.

Montgomery, the pilot, had been working for Omniflight for about six weeks. His sole responsibility was to fly paramedics on training exercises such as the one at Fort Bliss during the weekend, his wife, Linda Montgomery, said in a telephone interview.

William Montgomery, 63, was an Army pilot during the Vietnam War and had flown several kinds of aircraft throughout his career, his wife said. He had four daughters.

"He had a love of flying," Linda Montgomery said. "He was employed with Omniflight to fly the helicopter to pick up any military personnel that were injured."

Family members said Archuleta became a paramedic after working as a firefighter. Archuleta, 54, moved to El Paso from Colorado about a year ago, said Lori Franklin, his sister. Archuleta had three sons and was married to Kim Archuleta.

"They were just doing a training exercise and they invited him and another paramedic to go on the flight," Franklin said. "He was excited because he doesn't get to go on many flights."

Sutter's family could not be reached for comment.

Friday's fatal crash was the first since 2008 involving area aircraft.

In September 2008, four people were killed in airplane crash in the mountains near Ojinaga, Chihuahua.

Killed were the International Boundary and Water Commission's top officials, U.S. Commissioner Carlos Marin of El Paso and Mexican Commissioner Arturo Herrera Solis; Rio Grande Council of Governments Executive Director Jake Brisbin Jr.; and Volare Air Charter co-founder and pilot Matt Juneau of El Paso.

In October 2008, a propeller airplane went down just northwest of the Santa Teresa airport, killing the two people on board.

Omniflight aircraft were involved in four crashes in 2009, including one in which an aircraft ran out of gas and crashed and another in which a pilot lost control during night-vision-goggles training.

In September 2009, three people were killed when a Eurocopter aircraft operated by Omniflight crashed near Georgetown, S.C. According to a preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report, the pilot flew into bad weather.

In 2007, a Beech E90 aircraft registered to Omniflight crashed in the forest near Ruidoso. In that flight, five people were killed, including a 15-month-old girl receiving treatment for seizures and her mother.

Omniflight also was the operator of an Aug. 27, 1990, flight that killed four people, among them, musician Stevie Ray Vaughn.

Safety of flights for helicopter emergency medical units have become a priority for the National Transportation Safety Board. The number of fatalities during emergency operations has increased from seven in 2007 to 29 in 2008, according to board statistics.

In February 2009, the safety board had a public hearing with aviation stakeholders. They determined that developing flight-risk evaluation programs, requiring formalized dispatch procedures and installing Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems could reduce accidents.

Darren Meritz may be reached at dmeritz@elpasotimes.com; 546-6127

A black Chevrolet Suburban travelling in President Barack Obama's 15 vehicle motorcade this morning in Washington, D.C. was struck by an ambulance Saturday morning, examiner.com has learned.

Alex Leary of the St. Petersburg Times first reported the incident in a White House pool report released this morning.  As the motorcade went to depart The White House, members of the media were asked to stay back a few minutes as the Secret Service pulled out an extra SUV for them to get into to motorcade because an ambulance had been involved in a "fender bender" with one of the press SUV

NATICK —
Two firefighters and two other people were taken to the hospital after a car hit the side of an ambulance that was leaving Leonard Morse Hospital on Union Street in Natick shortly before noon today.

There were no patients in the ambulance, but the firefighters staffing the ambulance were taken to the hospital as a precaution, according to Natick Fire Chief James Sheridan.

The driver and a passenger in the car that hit the ambulance were also taken to a hospital to be treated, Sheridan said.

There was minor damage to the ambulance and the front bumper of the car fell off.

- Reported by Norman Miller

  By Lynn Olanoff A 23-year-old Plainfield Township man has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault for biting a paramedic and attempting to bite a township police officer, according to police.

David Matthew Henderson, of the 100 block of Awesome Drive, was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $25,000 bail following the Thursday incident.

Township police responded to Henderson’s house at 3 a.m. after Henderson had dialed 911 and said he was going to jump out of a window. While police were there, Henderson swallowed several white pills, according to reports.

Henderson allegedly fought police as they tried to persuade him to go to the hospital. As officials tried to restrain Henderson on a stretcher, he bit the knee of paramedic Matthew Bielinski and tried to bite the hand of police officer Douglas Possinger, according to reports.

Henderson also was charged with two counts of terroristic threats and resisting arrest.

By Asha Mehta
 
 
 
AMBULANCE chiefs have condemned a callous thug who tried to attack a paramedic before kicking and punching her rapid response car as she returned from treating a patient at a property in Peterborough.
Bosses at the East of England Ambulance Service said the unprovoked assault and "wanton act of vandalism" could have hampered their efforts and put lives at risk.

The paramedic had been called to a property in Russell Street, Peterborough, in a rapid response vehicle to treat a man who fainted on January 31.

When she returned to the car at 1.51am, the culprit lashed out at her before he kicked and punched the car as he walked off, denting the rear passenger side-wheel arch and panel and breaking the passenger wing mirror.

A spokeswoman for the East of England Ambulance Service said: "Fortunately in this case the patient did not need to be taken to hospital and the situation was not a critical one.

"But if it had been more serious this attempted assault and wanton act of vandalism could have hindered the life-saving efforts of our crew.

"We deplore any acts of aggression against our staff and vehicles and warn members of the public that we will take the strongest action possible."

The police are now investigating the incident.

There has been one other incident of vandalism involving an ambulance vehicle in the city over the past 12 months where a man smashed the windscreen of a rapid response vehicle.

And last September, thieves stole a satellite navigation device from an ambulance as its crew treated a three-year-old child for a fever in Alma Road, Millfield.

Bosses at the ambulance service said it "beggared belief" that somebody could steal the potentially life-saving equipment, which is useless in ordinary cars.

Over the last four years, six sat nav devices and one mobile phone have been stolen from ambulances in Peterborough.

One incident, in November 2005, happened outside Peterborough District Hospital and another, in September 2007, took place when paramedics were getting their patient into the back of the vehicle.

In addition to this two oxygen cylinders and one entonox cylinder were taken from an ambulance in January this year along with medical books.

Anyone with information about these crimes should call police in Peterborough on 0345 4564564, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

 

MOSCOW, February 4 (Itar-Tass) -- Two men were hospitalized after an ambulance car accident in the Moscow region, traffic police told Itar-Tass on Thursday.

“According to preliminary information, the ambulance’s driver was trying to avoid collision with another car but failed. As a result, the ambulance car capsized,” traffic police said. There were two paramedics, a driver and nine passengers in the ambulance car bound for Moscow region’s town of Kolomna.

“Most of the people who had been in the ambulance car were slightly injured although two suffered more grave injuries and medics sent them to hospital,” traffic police said.

Investigation into the circumstances and causes of the accident was underway.

AVONDALE -- A police car and an ambulance were involved in a collision on their way to another wreck in Avondale early Friday morning.

The original wreck, which happened at about 7 a.m. and involved a car and an SUV, shut down in the intersection of 107th Avenue and McDowell Road.

Rescue crews on the scene of that accident said one person needed to be extricated from the car. That person and a second victim, both Department of Corrections employees who were on their way to work, were taken to the hospital. The nature of their injuries was not immediately available.

The three people who were in the SUV walked away unhurt.

According to Avondale police, one of their cruisers was on its way to that wreck and had slowed down to start a traffic control when an ambulance heading to the same scene hit the police car.

The ambulance was not going too fast at the time, so the damage to the vehicles was minor and no injuries were reported.

A one mile-stretch of 107th Avenue from McDowell Road to just south of Interstate 10 was closed down for the investigation into both wrecks. Police re-opened the street shortly before

HAZEL PARK, Mich. (WXYZ) - Eastbound I-696 is back open after being shut down because of a crash near the I-75 interchange in Hazel Park.

Among the vehicles involved in the multi-car crash was an ambulance. It is not clear at this time if the ambulance was transporting a patient. It was disabled and had to be taken from the scene on a wrecker.

Michigan State Police officers are investigating the crash. So far they have not commented on any injuries or on a possible cause for the accident.

By MARK I JOHNSON
STAFF WRITER

DAYTONA BEACH -- A paramedic with EVAC ambulance was treated and released from a Daytona Beach hospital this morning after his ambulance was hit while transporting two patients from an earlier Interstate 95 accident, an EVAC spokesman said.

Mark O’Keefe said he did not have specifics of what happened during the 4 a.m. incident, but his understanding is the ambulance attempted to turn around when a driver drove north through the accident scene at the 275 mile marker and rammed the emergency unit from behind.

"The ambulance was using its emergency lights and siren," he said.

O’Keefe said his unidentified paramedic was injured in the collision, but an emergency medical technician driving the unit and a firefighter assisting in treatment of the two patients were not.

"We are very fortunate that no one was killed," he said.

The driver of the car that hit the ambulance refused treatment and transport, O’Keefe said.

The original patients were listed in stable and serious condition respectively and taken to Halifax Health Medical Center.

  Colorado Springs, Colorado - The National EMS Memorial Service today released the names of the 26 individuals from 17 states to be honored at the 18th Annual National EMS Memorial Service to be held Saturday, June 26, 2010 at the First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The National EMS Memorial Service has, since 1992, been honoring America's EMS providers who have given their lives in the line of duty. The 26 individuals being honored this year join 512 others previously honored by the National EMS Memorial Service.

At the first service to be held in Colorado Springs, members of the honoree's families will be presented with a medallion, symbolizing eternal memory; a U.S. Flag which has flown over the Nation's Capital, symbolizing service to the country; and a White Rose, symbolizing their undying love.

In addition to the presentations made during the Service, each honoree's name is engraved on a bronze oak leaf which is added to the National EMS Memorial.

Additional information on the National EMS Memorial Service is available on its web site at  http://nemsms.org

National EMS Memorial Service 2010 Honorees

Joseph R Barlow, 55, of Johnson County Rescue and EMS, Mountain City, TN, who died in the line of duty on September 18, 2009 of injuries received in an ambulance involved motor vehicle accident.

Paul Boyer, 54, of Womack Army Medical Center Ambulance Services, Fort Bragg, NC, who died in the line of duty on October 21, 2009 of injuries received in an ambulance involved motor vehicle accident.

James Bradshaw, 39, of Mountain Lifeflight, Susanville, CA, who died in the line of duty on November 14, 2009 of injuries received in an aeromedical aviation accident.

Timothy A Byrd, 46, of Dover-Stewart County Rescue Squad, Dover, TN, who died in the line of duty on February 9, 2009 of a cardiac arrest while on duty.

Debra Cole, 40, of South Portland Fire Department, South Portland, ME, who died in the line of duty on June 11, 2009 of a cerebral vascular accident while on duty.

Diana Lynn Conner, 42, of Carolina Lifecare, Conway, SC, who died in the line of duty on September 25, 2009 of injuries received in an aeromedical aviation accident.

Mark B Davis, 25, of Cape Vincent Volunteer Fire Department, Cape Vincent, NY, who died in the line of duty on January 31, 2009 of a gun shot wound received while at the scene of a call.

David M Deland, 45, of Lake-Sumter EMS, Mount Dora, FL, who died in the line of duty on November 6, 2009 of a cardiac arrest while on duty.

Randolph Dove, 39, of Carolina Lifecare, Conway, SC, who died in the line of duty on September 25, 2009 of injuries received in an aeromedical aviation accident.

Larry Wayne Faegin, 49, of Gemini Ambulance Service, Falfurrias, TX, who died in the line of duty on August 13, 2009 of a cardiac arrest while on duty.

Melissa Gerese Greenhagen, 37, of Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital STAT Ambulance Services, Glasgow, MT, who died in the line of duty on January 17, 2009 of a gun shot wound received while walking across a hospital parking lot.

Paul D Holmes, 37, of Douglas County Fire Department, Douglasville, GA, who died in the line of duty on December 28, 2009 of injuries received in an ambulance involved motor vehicle accident.

Daryl Joseph Lahren, 47, of Kindred Ambulance, Kindred, ND, who died in the line of duty on June 25, 2009 of a cardiac arrest while on duty.

Dale R Long, 48, of Bennington Rescue Squad, Bennington, VT, who died in the line of duty on June 5, 2009 of injuries received in an ambulance involved motor vehicle accident.

Bonnie McNeil, 50, of Union Rescue Squad, Willard, NC, who died in the line of duty on May 14, 2009 of a cardiac arrest while on duty.

Christopher Meadows, 24, of San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Search & Rescue, San Luis Obispo, CA, who died in the line of duty on May 24, 2009 of injuries received in an ATV accident while performing a beach/dune rescue.

Harry R Moore, 77, of City of Duquesne Emergency Medical Services, Duquesne, PA, who died in the line of duty on November 22, 2009 of a cardiac arrest while on duty.

Charles Denny Myshrall, 67, of North Coventry Volunteer Fire Department, Coventry, CT, who died in the line of duty on February 26, 2009 of complications from surgery for injuries received from a fall at the scene of a call.

Barry John Nagle, 66, of Silver Spring Ambulance and Rescue, New Kingstown, PA, who died in the line of duty on February 4, 2009 of a cardiac arrest while on duty.

Clinton Reger, 40, of Mountain Lifeflight, Susanville, CA, who died in the line of duty on November 14, 2009 of injuries received in an aeromedical aviation accident.

Christopher Ritz, 37, of Mountain Lifeflight, Susanville, CA, who died in the line of duty on November 14, 2009 of injuries received in an aeromedical aviation accident.

Virginia K Shearrer, 63, of Larned EMS, Larned, KS, who died in the line of duty on June 5, 2006 of a cerebral vascular accident while on duty.

Gary D Street, 60, of East Lake Sinclair Volunteer Fire Department, Sparta, GA, who died in the line of duty on October 17, 2009 of a cardiac arrest while on duty.

Andrew Francis Tingwall, 36, of New Mexico State Police Search and Rescue, Santa Fe, NM, who died in the line of duty on June 11, 2009 of injuries received in an aeromedical aviation accident.

Patrick B Walters, 45, of Carolina Lifecare, Conway, SC, who died in the line of duty on September 25, 2009 of injuries received in an aeromedical aviation accident.

Thomas E Widcamp, 38, of Cameron Parish EMS, Cameron, LA, who died in the line of duty on October 9, 2009 of injuries received when a rescue trailer pinned him to the EMS building.

WESTMORELAND —
An ambulance with its emergency lights activated was struck by another vehicle in a collision in the town of Westmoreland Monday afternoon, according to Oneida County sheriff’s deputies.

A Central Oneida County Volunteer Ambulance Corps ambulance driven by James Spellman was responding to a motor vehicle accident with injury when it was struck in the driver’s side about 4:20 p.m. by a van that had been following it on Route 5, Deputy Kurt Wyman said.

The driver of the van, Victor Beavo of Vernon, was transported to Oneida City Hospital for neck pain, Wyman said. No one inside the ambulance was injured in the accident.

The accident remains under investigation by the Oneida County Sheriff's Office and traffic charges are pending for the operator of the van, Wyman said.

MOUNT OLIVE — A fire that damaged the Flanders fire and rescue building Thursday started in an ambulance that was responsible for a new law extending the state's "lemon law" provisions to emergency vehicles, officials said.

The ambulance, one of the three operated by the Flanders First Aid and Rescue Squad, had just returned from a medical call and was placed out of service because of an issue with its anti-lock braking system, according to Capt. Jeff Paul, a spokesman for the Morris County Prosecutor's Office.

 

The ambulance was parked inside the firehouse garage at 27 Main St. when it erupted in flames at 10:40 a.m. No one was in the garage at the time of the fire, but two firefighters from Flanders suffered smoke inhalation battling the flames.