EMS responds to accident, assault incidents
Sep 20, 2018 | 686 views | 0 0 comments | 7 7 recommendations | email to a friend | print
Thursday, Sept. 13 was an exceptionally busy day for Grand County Emergency Medical Services. With eight calls that day, “we were able to do it but it certainly was tight. Our crews were stretched really thin,” said EMS Director Andy Smith. “We had three ambulances all out at the same time for several hours in the evening.”

First, an assault in Moab required medical attention at 1 p.m. Then EMS got paged to a vehicle accident. An individual in Spanish Valley called with chest pain, and then a vehicle accident on Highway 191 injured five in northern San Juan County. “That took a lot of resources and a lot of time,” Smith said.

EMTs also took care of a child who was hit by a car while crossing the street on his bicycle. Smith said the child was transported to Moab Regional Hospital but was in stable condition. “He was doing really well … crews did transfer him to MRH,” Smith said. EMS had another medical call in Moab and finally had to transfer two patients to other medical facilities, one via air from Canyonlands Field Airport and one to St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction.

The next day the department had six calls, Smith reported. “It’s not uncommon of us in September specifically to have seven to ten calls per day,” Smith said. In fact, on Sept. 6, Sept. 7 and Sept. 10, EMS had seven calls a day. “The fall gets busier.”

Share This Article |

Copyright 2013 The Times-Independent. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

report abuse...

Express yourself:

We're glad to give readers a forum to express their points of view on issues important to this community. That forum is the “Letters to the Editor.” Letters to the editor may be submitted directly to The Times-Independent through this link and will be published in the print edition of the newspaper. All letters must be the original work of the letter writer – form letters will not be accepted. All letters must include the actual first and last name of the letter writer, the writer’s address, city and state and telephone number. Anonymous letters will not be accepted.

Letters may not exceed 400 words in length, must be regarding issues of general interest to the community, and may not include personal attacks, offensive language, ethnic or racial slurs, or attacks on personal or religious beliefs. Letters should focus on a single issue. Letters that proselytize or focus on theological debates will not be published. During political campaigns, The Times-Independent will not publish letters supporting or opposing any local candidate. Thank you letters are generally not accepted for publication unless the letter has a public purpose. Thank you letters dealing with private matters that compliment or complain about a business or individual will not be published. Nor will letters listing the names of individuals and/or businesses that supported a cause or event. Thank you letters about good Samaritan acts will be considered at the discretion of the newspaper.