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About this Project
Sunday, January 26, 2003:
A lack of vehicle performance standards, maintenance and proper safety restraint contributes to the human toll caused by at least 6,500 ambulance crashes a year.
Monday, January 27, 2003:
Speeding, fatigue, driver error and dispatch blunders often lead to ambulance crashes. Accreditation programs, driver monitoring and stricter vehicle standards could reduce the risks.
Related Links
 NHTSA
The official site of The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Special Reports Archive
Read more special reports by
The Detroit News
© Copyright 2003 The Detroit News.
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Monday, Jan. 27
Newsday
An ambulance driven by Anne Lamberson went through an intersection in Brooklyn, N.Y., and smashed into this car driven by Angela Igwe. Three of Igwe's four children, Akintunde Morak, 2, Olusegun Morak, 5, and Damilola Morak, 7, were killed.
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Ambulance driver fatigue a danger
Emergency medical technician Anne Lamberson thought she was doing her job when she got a priority dispatch, stepped on the ambulance's accelerator and tried to make it to the scene as quickly as she could. 01/27/03
Ranking dispatch calls could save lives
Dispatchers put emergency medical technicians and patients in danger when they fail to prioritize calls by degree of emergency. The result is EMTs rushing with lights flashing and sirens blaring to what they think is an emergency call that turns out not to be urgent. 01/27/03
Experts: Driver training needed
Federal safety officials offer an in-depth curriculum on ambulance driving, but they don't keep track of who takes the classes and they have no way of gauging its effectiveness in preventing crashes. 01/27/03
Safety advocates call for accident research
The hazards of ambulance transportation are coming under closer scrutiny by safety advocates who are pushing for more crash research, better safety features and more uniform guidelines to lead to a safer ride for medics and the 100,000 patients treated in ambulances each day. 01/27/03
Sunday, Jan. 26
Ambulance trips put lives at risk
Poor ambulance design, a lack of safety standards and dangerous driving by rescue workers endanger the lives of the sick and injured and those sent to help them. 01/26/03
Beloved job kills medical technician
Joseph "Neal'' Sherman was working to save a life in the back of an ambulance when his own life was cut short. 01/26/03
Lack of restraints jeopardizes safety of small children
Detroit paramedic Sherry Kurek worries when she is called to a pediatric emergency because she knows she can't properly secure a child in an ambulance. 01/26/03
Crash numbers tough to track
People have a higher risk of being harmed in an ambulance crash than in other vehicle crashes, although it's impossible to calculate the rate because nobody keeps track of how many miles ambulances travel each year. 01/26/03
Standards overhaul is a low priority
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the federal agency that regulates auto safety, doesn't have a crash standard for the entire ambulance and suggests it might take decades to create one. 01/26/03
Safety takes back seat to 'bells and whistles'
Ambulance buyers often spend hours haggling with manufacturers over the layout of the patient compartment or its color scheme, but there's little discussion about how well their vehicle will hold up in a crash. 01/26/03
Rescue workers rarely buckle up
When medics settle into the back of an ambulance with their patients, they might reach for oxygen, medicine or paperwork, but they aren't likely to reach for their seat belts. 01/26/03
Poor vehicle upkeep can have deadly results
There is little accountability for failure to maintain ambulances in the cash-strapped emergency medical system. 01/26/03
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