Inattentive driving focus of ambulance crash probe
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By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer
Honolulu police are focusing on inattentive driving as a possible cause of Friday's fatal private ambulance crash in Liliha.
Vehicular homicide investigators, who are supposed to respond to all traffic incidents involving deaths or critical injuries, were not called to the scene of the 10 a.m. crash of an American Medical Response ambulance, which was taking a patient from Kapi'olani Medical Center-Pali Momi to Straub Hospital & Clinic in a nonemergency situation. The ambulance veered off the road and hit a utility pole.
Police said the 35-year-old driver, who is classified as an emergency medical technician, may have dozed off.
His partner Frank Tahere, a 60-year-old mobile intensive-care technician, was tending to the patient when the crash occurred. Tahere was taken to The Queen's Medical Center with what appeared at the time to be noncritical injuries. Tahere, however, suffered a neck fracture and brain hemorrhage and died Saturday.
An autopsy was performed Monday; the cause of death hasn't been released.
Vehicular homicide officers have classified the investigation as a "Type III, negligent homicide" case. Type I and Type II negligent homicide involve alcohol or substance abuse and reckless driving, respectively, and are felonies. Type III includes inattentive driving and is a misdemeanor.
Speedy Bailey, a spokesman for American Medical Response, said the driver has been placed on administrative leave and that the company is continuing its own investigation.
The driver was in the middle of his regularly scheduled shift, Bailey said. American Medical Response schedules range from eight- to 24-hour shifts that are set up comparable to those of other emergency service providers such as police, fire and hospital personnel. The driver on the day of the crash was working a 16-hour shift that began at midnight Friday.
Based on patrol reports of the crash, the driver did not appear to be under the influence of any substance so no testing was performed, police said.
