How I busted a rig...

[PluckyDuk8]

Well, I never busted a rig but I'm sure others have (and I've heard some amazing stories from others I used to work with)...

During the year I worked for a private company in chicago I got into only one minor "not at fault" accident. I just crossed an intersection (with a patient on board to a dr's appt., going normal speed without lights and sirens). I heard sirens in the distance around me and as I am looking around me to see where it is coming from, and start to slow down. As I do so, the guy next to me in the left hand lane (I'm in the right hand lane) sideswipes me. It ends up that the sirens were from a fire truck going perpendicular at the crossing I just passed, and they were never on my street! Supposedly the patient and the other EMT in the back never felt what happened, but I did (because he hit my door) and I got a bit shaken up because this was my first accident with the rig. The car that hit me and I pull over, and his claim was "I hear lights and sirens, I pull to right." Well LOOKING first helps. We had our dispatcher call the nursing home that the patient was from and even though nothing really happened they had one of our ALS's take her to the ER. It ends up that the guy refused to go to the police station to file a report, so instead of just filing the report and finishing the policeman who came to us (usually they don't come to you in Chicago unless there's an injury or disabled vehicle) ended up giving him a ticket for improper lane usage . The officer was pretty much rolling his eyes when hearing the other driver's story.


My other near accident was that I did a 180 degree turn on black ice while driving on an onramp to the tristate tollway (without a patient), nearly tumbling down the hill next to the onramp. After that my partner and I invented the term "rampaphobia."

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[12R34Y]

180 mph? i assume you are exaggerating................fastest i've ever gone is 104 and that was an un-governered rig.

last service i worked for ALL ambulances were governed at 84mph.

My partner and I were responding to a call from the firestation and I happened to hit the mic on the radio to let dispatch know we were responding before we cleared the bay doors. Bottom line...........we went crashing through the bay door! Caught the top of our unit above the light bar.

oops.

 

[PluckyDuk8]

Sorry about that, I'll go edit my post...I thought it was clear that I did a 180 degree turn!

 

[12R34Y]

my bad.............read it too fast.

sorry

 

[deleted6669]

there is a reason they tell you not to go through drive throughs and along that same line, anyone want to guess what an ambulance growler cover costs(roof mount)......

 

[DSM]

Originally posted by emedpa
there is a reason they tell you not to go through drive throughs and along that same line, anyone want to guess what an ambulance growler cover costs(roof mount)......

Things got so bad around my company with drivers backing into peoples homes and drive throughs that the chief mechanic was going to post a plaque with members names belonging to the "Convertable Club"

 

[12R34Y]

Fortunately, the department didn't have to replace any part of the module.............the door was much much weaker and was made mostly of glass! it just bent the heck out of the door and shattered a TON of glass everywhere.

the unit just needed some paint.

lucky i guess..............

 

[Robz]

I have backed into a garage door before it was fully open and I also did 3K damage to a rig when I was snow driving training someone in Albany NY. Yeah kinda ironic wasn't it?

The rig was sliding and I had three options. Snow pile, cars, or lightpole. I chose the snowpile. Too bad for me it was iced over......it was like hitting a rock.

 

[InfiniumEtAl]

The plastic cover on my rigs bumper flew off (Van Ambulance). No other damage. To me.
The poor cabbie that thought the stop sign pertained only to US citizens was T-Boned . From the mid-point of his engine to the middle of his trunk (front wheel to back wheel) was indented at least a foot. He was dragged across the intersection.

Everyone was alright except the lawyers and his Crown Vic.

 

[beanbean]

I was not on the call, but here is the story.....
MVA at intersection in town. Ambulance parked on the side of the road, police directing traffic, crew boarding and collaring the driver of one of the cars. Big crash! Crew looks up to see a car has driven right into the back of the ambulance. No injuries, but the driver was overheard saying to her daughter..."Please wait in the car. Mommy has to go talk to the policeman about why she wasn't watching where she was going."