Death of paramedic raises questions
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By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Staff Writer
The city probably will meet with a private ambulance service to discuss a traffic accident last week in which a paramedic possibly died from his injuries, a city official said yesterday.
Paramedic Frank Tahere died Saturday after being hospitalized when the American Medical Response ambulance he was riding in Friday went off the road and hit a utility pole in Kalihi.
American Medical Response is the only ambulance company under contract with the city to provide backup service.
The accident, however, occurred when the company was not doing city work. It was transferring a patient from one hospital to another.
Nevertheless, city Emergency Medical Services chief Robin McCulloch said the city had planned to meet with American Medical Response officials when their city contract is up for renewal later this month. He said the accident will "most likely" be discussed.
"We don't know yet why the accident occurred and I certainly don't want to speculate," McCulloch said. "But when they do pinpoint a cause, we will probably sit down with the company to see if there can be any improvements made to prevent a repeat. That would be our main goal from any talks."
American Medical Response contracts with the city to provide backup 911 service. The company, with about 200 medics and 40 vehicles, also provides private nonemergency transfers.
Tahere, 60, was in the back of the vehicle with a patient during the accident on the 600 block of North School Street. Police say the ambulance driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel.
City and American Medical Response ambulance officials said it was too early to speculate on the cause of the 10 a.m. crash. Company officials have yet to determine if the ambulance driver was working a regular shift or was on overtime.
"A lot of people in the EMS community knew Frank, so many of us are still distraught at this time," McCulloch said of Tahere. "We want to take care of this at a very human level before moving on and discussing the accident itself."
Doctors suspect Tahere, transported to The Queen's Medical Center following the accident, suffered a broken neck and brain hemorrhage. The medical examiner's office performed an autopsy yesterday; the cause of death is expected to be released today.
Police have opened a negligent homicide investigation.
There have only been two other fatal accidents involving paramedics in Hawai'i. The first involved a male paramedic who died when he fell out of the back of a moving ambulance in Kailua in 1958. An air ambulance crashed on Kaua'i in 1980 while responding to an emergency call, killing the pilot and a paramedic.
Speedy Bailey, of American Medical Response, said the ambulance was fitted with nylon safety nets in hopes of cushioning any impact during a crash. Seat belts are also provided in the rear of the ambulance.
But McCulloch said paramedics walk around the ambulance to tend to patients.
"A trauma patient usually has multiple injuries on his or her body, so the paramedic has to get around to treat them," McCulloch said. "The ambulance in many ways is a traveling hospital, so there is much more medical equipment inside it than it used to.
"Over the years we've looked at our ambulance design to hide protruding objects and arrange paramedic seating in the event of a crash," he said. "We also redesigned hoppers to allow safer disposal of needles.
Bailey said crisis counselors have been assigned to assist Tahere's family and co-workers.
Reach Scott Ishikawa at sishikawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 535-8110.
