Wednesday, April 27, 2011

** UK medic suspended after infant death reinstated as dispatcher;colleagues stunned

** New Mexico EMT in wrong way smash sues car drivers and ambulance company

UNITED STATES NEWS

** A Santa Fe, New Mexico paramedic, seriously injured in a December 2010 ambulance/car crash is suing the car drivers involved and her own service. The Washington Examiner (AP/April 22) said Vanessa Carillo, 19, who is also a former ballet dancer, contends Jennifer Belvin and Kylene Holmes, who died in the smash, were high on both drugs and alcohol at the time of the wrong way collision. The suit also alleges Rocky Mountain EMS did not maintain its upkeep of the prehospital unit’s airbags which didn’t deploy during the head-on. In addition, Carillo’s attorney Jeffrey Trespel said his client is questioning the sufficiency of Rocky Mountain’s medical insurance and management of the coverage.

UNITED KINGDOM NEWS

** Linlithgow paramedics are apparently up in arms after an advanced care trainee returned to her former work as a dispatcher when she botched a response to an infant who later died. That is the word from the Edinburgh Evening News (Victoria Raimes/April 23) which said Charlene Russell, who was suspended following the January 15th call, has sparked outrage from colleagues who said she should have been sacked for refusing to help. According to the newspaper, Russell declined to come to the care of the 15-week-old baby because her partner was not yet at work;the child died of swine flu shortly after. A Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) spokesman, meanwhile, confirmed Russell’s job change, saying merely an internal review into the entire incident was nearing completion and would be presented to the baby’s family soon.