JJR512
Forum Deputy Chief
- 1,336
- 4
- 36
...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.
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.