# Not a virgin anymore...



## JJR512 (Oct 15, 2007)

...I've finally dented my first ambulance.

It happened at a hospital ER ambulance bay. The spaces are angled. I was parked nose toward the building, which is how it's usually done at that hospital because the spaces are so close to the building it's just easier that way. Another ambulance from my company was parked to my right, also nose-in. I meant to back up and turn to the right to come behind and around the unit next to me. But my right exterior main mirror wasn't much help because the building behind me was reflecting on the side of the unit next to me, so I was using the small round mirror mounted on the main mirror. I could tell, as I started to turn, that I was going to coming very close to the other unit, but I guess because of the distortion those small mirrors cause, I misjudged things a bit. I bumped the back right corner of my unit into the left rear side of the other unit. I actually hit a compartment door on the other unit with a piece of framework mounted on mine that is supposed to help hold the door open, and with the edge of that framework, I made a shallow impression on the compartment door. There was no damage apparent on my unit. We did have a patient in our unit, that we had just loaded in and were supposed to be taking home. But it happened at maybe 3mph, and there were no injurries. In fact, the patient and his mother, who was in the front passenger seat, weren't even sure what had happened until we told them.

My company requires any employee involved in a collision to take a drug test upon immediate return to the office, which we did (after of course taking the Pt. home). I passed, of course. Since it was my fault, I'm suspended from driving for 30 days.


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## Ridryder911 (Oct 15, 2007)

I am surprised that your department does not require a "ground backer"  or "spotter" to spot you as you back up. I know must EMS do. Stuff like this happens, glad to see you were able to keep your job. 

R/r 911


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## JJR512 (Oct 15, 2007)

It's a private/commercial company. I'm not sure what their policy is about using a backup spotter. If it comes up, I can point to several things in my defense: 1. I am a new employee and have asked for an employee policy handbook and have never received one, so cannot be expected to be familiar with all the policies; 2. Nobody else uses a spotter, ever, even at the office, even when supervisors are watching; even the supervisor I recently rode with didn't use a spotter, and a policy can't be so widely disregarded and let be gotten away with and then suddenly enforced in only one instance (there's legal precedent for this, by the way); 3. The only person available to use as a spotter was in the back with a patient, and I'm sure there's a policy and probably even a regulation/law (which would supercede a company's policy) that says the attendant must remain with the patient at all times, ergo that person was unavailable as a spotter. So, although I've already been told by the supervisor in charge of accident investigations that the situation is fine and I just can't drive for 30 days, I think I'm in a fairly decent defensible position if they change their mind.

I doubt they're even going to bother fixing the dent. There are other units in service with worse body damage. They probably prefer their insurance company doesn't know about it.


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## reaper (Oct 15, 2007)

I guess I'm a virgin still. Haven't wrecked a rig in 17 years!!!!


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## Rattletrap (Oct 15, 2007)

reaper said:


> I guess I'm a virgin still. Haven't wrecked a rig in 17 years!!!!



Let the curse begin!  :beerchug:


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## reaper (Oct 15, 2007)

Doesn't work om me! Everyone at work tries to make it work though.


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## Guardian (Oct 16, 2007)

JJR512 said:


> ...I've finally dented my first ambulance.
> 
> It happened at a hospital ER ambulance bay. The spaces are angled. I was parked nose toward the building, which is how it's usually done at that hospital because the spaces are so close to the building it's just easier that way. Another ambulance from my company was parked to my right, also nose-in. I meant to back up and turn to the right to come behind and around the unit next to me. But my right exterior main mirror wasn't much help because the building behind me was reflecting on the side of the unit next to me, so I was using the small round mirror mounted on the main mirror. I could tell, as I started to turn, that I was going to coming very close to the other unit, but I guess because of the distortion those small mirrors cause, I misjudged things a bit. I bumped the back right corner of my unit into the left rear side of the other unit. I actually hit a compartment door on the other unit with a piece of framework mounted on mine that is supposed to help hold the door open, and with the edge of that framework, I made a shallow impression on the compartment door. There was no damage apparent on my unit. We did have a patient in our unit, that we had just loaded in and were supposed to be taking home. But it happened at maybe 3mph, and there were no injurries. In fact, the patient and his mother, who was in the front passenger seat, weren't even sure what had happened until we told them.
> 
> My company requires any employee involved in a collision to take a drug test upon immediate return to the office, which we did (after of course taking the Pt. home). I passed, of course. Since it was my fault, I'm suspended from driving for 30 days.





I hope you documented this well in case they try and sue you.  The current state of our civil legal system is one reason I don't work for a private company.


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## Junkman (Oct 24, 2007)

Guardian said:


> I hope you documented this well in case they try and sue you.  The current state of our civil legal system is one reason I don't work for a private company.



As an employee, he has no legal liability for property damage of others in the normal course of performing his duties as instructed.  Besides that, since both vehicles are owned by the same firm, there is no way that anyone outside of the firms insurance company would have any liability.  The only person that could sue in this instance is either the patient, or the passenger, and then they would have to prove that they were injured.  Since they weren't even aware of the "incident", until they were advised by the driver as to what happened, I see this as a remote possibility.  Once again, even if they were to sue, and also name the driver as a co defendant along with the ambulance service, the ambulance service would have primary liability, and only after all those resources were exhausted, could the employee "possibly" be held responsible.  Generally, employees have no legal responsibility in the performance of their duties, unless it can be proven that they were grossly negligent in that performance.  At that point, then they in all probability, would be held to a criminal complaint.  Usually gross negligence puts the company in primary liability in civil suits...


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## rmellish (Oct 24, 2007)

I haven't bumped one yet either (knock on wood), but it sounds like your company is very uptight to suspend you for 30 days for a simple bump. I think my company might have one or two out of ten without some form of damage, usually a dented rear bumper.

Only rarely have people been suspended from driving, that I know of at least.


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## Getnjgywitit (Oct 24, 2007)

Well if it makes you feel any better, my first day as an EMT, my FTO smashed into a parked car while trying to park to get some coffee! LOL  

Ohh and try and use a backer.


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## Lets_roll (Nov 4, 2007)

our company has an internal sriver safety monitoring device that watches speed, use of lights, turn signals G-Force exerted on vehicle, use of brakes/accelerator, and pretty much anything you can monitor it monitors is a black box for ambulances a people get fired for violating the system just a couple of times, is anyone else familiar with this system


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## reaper (Nov 4, 2007)

Yes, Most systems did away with them years ago. I would much rather my driver, drive. Then be worried about that dam black box all the time.

Here we use Drive Cam. It will record if there is an accident or extremely erratic driving. It does saves your butt.


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## JJR512 (Nov 5, 2007)

I have heard of those systems. The speed and force of my impact would amost certainly _not_ have tripped one of those monitors. Honestly, it probably would not have set off a car alarm (had it been an alarm-equipped car that I struck). Seriously, with my several-thousand-pound ambulance, I only managed to make a dent maybe two mm in a thin flat flat is much easier to dent than curved) piece of metal.


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## FFPARAMEDIC08 (Dec 3, 2007)

They suspended you for that? People in my department are involved in minor accidents monthly. My boss has the "as long as you don't lie about it" attitude.


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## JJR512 (Dec 4, 2007)

Just to be clear, I wasn't suspended from _working_; I was suspended from _driving_. I just had to tech every call.


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## Jon (Dec 24, 2007)

Lets_roll said:


> our company has an internal sriver safety monitoring device that watches speed, use of lights, turn signals G-Force exerted on vehicle, use of brakes/accelerator, and pretty much anything you can monitor it monitors is a black box for ambulances a people get fired for violating the system just a couple of times, is anyone else familiar with this system


Yep... the priviate co. I work with has them in all our rigs (perhaps it is the same Co. you work for, Lets_Roll). As far as I know, Manegment hasn't fired anyone for road safety violations... but we have had people fired for failure to wear a seatbelt in front of manegment team members.

This company has a policy that mandates the use of a spotter when backing.... if the attendent is with a patient, the attendant is supposed to watch out the back window. If I were to hit something because I failed to use a spotter (unless the attendant was occupied... like working a code) I would be fired. Same thing goes for getting in a crash because I was running lights and sirens when I'm not supposed to... I'll be fired. The company takes vehicle operation safety very seriously.


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## mattulance (Jan 8, 2008)

six months ago I backed my rig into a brick  wall. Made a hell of a noise and really screwed up the wall too. luckily the wall only hit the corner of the module, so i took off the diamond plate , hammered the dent out re attached it , a little mothers mag polish and nobody knew anything happened.


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## JPINFV (Jan 8, 2008)

Meh, you can suspend me from driving any day. If I'd have to choose between driving all day and attending all day, I'd take attending (it was rare at my company to have dual drivers). 

Personally, I've had worse. My first day after driver training, I went to take a mod out (old Horton mod, but I liked it better as an attendent or driver than the POS wheeled coaches that they used) and turned a little too sharp and a little too soon in the bay. I ended up wedging the ambulance against a pole and the right side flood light. Luckivly no damage outside of some scrapes (damn, those lenses are tough) and the unit was retired about 6 months later anyways. I got off lucky, though, and had no punisment outside of having to "talk" to the manager of operations (there were a few other "issues" that had to be worked out also. Apparently FTOs don't like to be disagreed with, even if they are being asanine).


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## katgrl2003 (Jan 8, 2008)

My only crash in an ambulance was a doozy.  Nobody ever told me how tall the trucks were (which may be why it's now posted in the cabs), and there was no height listed on the awning I tried to go under. It was about a foot too short.  :unsure:

The major problems?  We were on an out of town run, two hours away, start of night shift so there were no supervisors, and we had a patient on board.  Yikes!

My punishment was 30 day driving suspension, which I didn't mind.  I usually teched all day anyways.  I used to HATE driving, but that partner, and my current partner worked with me to get better.  I guess it worked.  I haven't wrecked an ambulance in over a year.

-Kat


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