A paramedic allegedly drunk while driving an ambulance carrying a patient side-swiped multiple vehicles Friday in Detroit, officials said.
The paramedic was suspended without pay by the Detroit Fire Department (DFD) following the incident involving three other parked vehicles in Hamtramck around 1 a.m., according to Fox 2 Detroit.
“The vast majority of the people that don’t engage in that type of conduct, it puts a stain or a black eye on them and on the department,” DFD Chief David Levalley said. “This is an incident that is not systemic throughout their department.”
Detroit (MI) Paramedic Hit Parked Vehicles With Ambulance in Drunk Driving Crash, Officials Sayhttps://t.co/vUnW4PuXUo
— Firefighter Nation (@firenation) December 2, 2023
The alleged drunk driver stopped and waited for police to arrive at the scene, the outlet reported. The paramedic was believed to have been under the influence, authorities said, after receiving an alcohol test per DFD protocol. (RELATED: Attacker Tries To Run Down Paramedic With Their Own Ambulance)
The woman being transported in the crashed ambulance had trouble breathing, Shorif, the woman’s son, said, according to the outlet. Shorif said the paramedic was not noticeably drunk, noting that “they [acted] like they were normal.”
“We have a zero-tolerance policy for the use of alcohol while on duty and will take the appropriate action,” Commissioner Chuck Simms said, according to a DFD release from Friday. “We have an outstanding team of EMTs and paramedics at the DFD and it’s [unfortunate] that this incident detracts from the lifesaving work they do every day.”