‘Done for the day’: US ambulance driver abandons patient, takes Uber home | US News

An ambulance driver in Ohio abandoned a patient he was taking to the hospital after getting lost and decided to call an Uber and go home.

The bizarre incident occurred in Cleveland last week when the patient was being transported to the Cleveland Clinic with chest pain. According to local TV station KWTX: “The ambulance driver got lost, told her he was done driving for the day and called an Uber. »

The driver worked for a private ambulance company, Lynx EMS, and not Cleveland Emergency Medical Services.

Cleveland Association of Rescue Employees (Care) Local 1975 said once the driver abandoned the patient, a local Cleveland EMS unit responded and administered aid, then continued the trip to the hospital.

“We would like to clarify that this was NOT a Cleveland EMS ambulance, but rather a provider working on a private ambulance,” the organization said in a statement. “Once this provider left, Cleveland EMS responded to the scene, administered treatment and transported the patient to the hospital.”

In a statement to local media reported by KWTX, a spokesperson for Lynx EMS (motto: Expert. Agile. Dependable.) said: “As soon as we became aware of the situation, immediate steps were taken to resolve the issue and ensure the patient’s well-being and care needs were addressed. »

He added: “We continue to review the circumstances surrounding this incident and will take appropriate action based on the findings of that review. As these are staff and patient related matters, we are unable to comment further.”