** UK medic sentenced after drunk driving incident; could lose EMS job
** Mississippi man charged after attacking paramedics
UNITED KINGDOM NEWS
** A Yorkshire Ambulance Service paramedic is apparently on the verge of being sacked after an off duty Internet date gone wrong saw her arrested for drunk driving last month. That is the word from The Hull Daily Mail (November 10) which said Joanne Fogarty-Walker, 46, has been sentenced to 125 hours of community service and a driving suspension of 17 months for driving over the limit x 1. According to the newspaper, Fogarty-Walker had been on an Internet arranged date October 15th when she became alarmed by the aggressive behaviour of the man she was with. Already intoxicated, she, nevertheless, got behind the wheel of her car and promptly smashed into the back of a truck. Despite the explanation, however, court also heard that Fogarty-Walker regularly used alcohol on days off to cope with her troubled life. A spokesman for the Yorkshire Ambulance Service said they are aware of the legal outcome of the case and that disciplinary measures are pending.
UNITED STATES NEWS
** A Mississippi man has been charged with simple assault which could be upgraded to felony assault, after he assaulted paramedics last week. The Daily Journal (William Moore/November 9) said Prentiss County resident Allen Burbey, 49, allegedly attacked emergency personnel after first hailing them to his home Tuesday for a medical emergency. According to the newspaper, Burbey’s charge could be upgraded because state law views an assault on a EMT similarly to that of a police officer which is a felony. There is no word on whether or not medics were injured in the incident. If convicted on the felony, Burbey could face half a decade in prison. At press time, he remained in jail pending the posting of a $5,000 bond.
