An ambulance is used to transport someone in need of medical assistance to a hospital or other healthcare facility in Tennessee. They are used to provide safe and fast transport in cases of emergency. While fast is a priority, the focus should always be on safety. Ambulance safety is the focus of a recent wrongful death suit in Nashville.
A woman was being transported via ambulance from Jackson to Nashville. The ambulance was a private one operated by West Tennessee Healthcare, Inc. The ambulance was travelling east on I-40 when the driver lost control of the vehicle and slammed into a rock wall. The patient and medic, who were in the treatment area of the ambulance, were ejected from the vehicle. They were both transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where they both died as a result of their injuries.
It was raining at the time of the accident, and it is believed that the ambulance hydroplaned, causing the driver to lose control. Speed and failure to drive in accordance with road conditions have been cited as possible causes of the crash. Witnesses said that the ambulance’s lights and siren were not in use at the time of the crash.
In entrusting a loved one to the care of an ambulance crew in Tennessee, one’s confidence level in the patient arriving safely at his or her destination will normally be pretty high. To lose a loved one at any time is hard to bear. When a loved one passes in a situation one assumes to be fairly safe, the shock and grief may be overwhelming. While nothing can bring a loved one back, a wrongful death suit may offer compensation for medical costs, final costs and other verifiable losses.