St Paul FD EMS Fatal "Back Over" Report: FD DRIVER DIDN'T FOLLOW "SPOTTER/BACKER" POLICY (Other Factors As Well Including Witnesses Hearing The Backup Alarm) Update

UPDATE: DIDN\'T FOLLOW \"SPOTTER/BACKER\" POLICY

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Reports released Monday say the St. Paul ambulance crew that ran over a 79-year-old woman on June 20 did not follow recommended department guidelines.
The reports indicated people on the scene all heard the sound of the ambulance alarm beeping as it slowly backed down an alley in the 1600 block of James Avenue before running over and killing Margaret Adele Kuehn.
Police say driver Thomas Tommio Murakami, 57, was going just one or two miles per hour and no one was behind the ambulance guiding down the narrow alley—a practice recommended in department policy.
After a check of the vehicle, the Minnesota State Patrol says there were no mechanical problems with the rig.
Once Kuehn was hit, the reports describe a heroic effort to try and safe her. Several firefighters actually lifted the back end of the ambulance off the ground to free Kuehn.
The report says Kuehn had recently started wearing hearing aids and investigators believe she was not wearing them when the accident happened.
The city isn't commenting about the reports because of a possible lawsuit.