This happened in the UK and because there is so much focus now on sleep deprivation as well as Firefighter & EMT behavioral health, we want to pass this on.
According to testimony, a Paramedic was hallucinating after a traumatic call-out when he crashed into a car. Vintage car enthusiasts Jason Allen, 49, and Andrew Ralph, 61, were killed after their car was hit by Paramedic Kevin Lilwall's ambulance on the A49 in Pengethley, Herefordshire.
They had been on their way to a car rally in Shrewsbury on 25 August 2019 before the crash at about 06:00.
An inquest heard Paramedic Lilwall was having flashbacks to the previous day when he had been in the same area responding to the sudden death of a baby. Paramedic Lilwall, had worked for West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) for 28 years, was driving the ambulance when it crossed the white line into the victims car. The ambulance dashcam showed it heading directly towards that car for six seconds before the collision.
HOURS WORKED:
The hearing in Hereford was told Mr Lilwall had spent more than 25 hours on duty in the previous 36 hours, with just a 10-hour break between shifts.
Medical experts agreed that the hallucination could have been caused by post traumatic stress disorder. Mr Lilwall was due to stand trial charged with causing the death by dangerous or careless driving, but the charges were dropped in October 2022.
MISSED OPPORTUNITY:
Jason Wiles from WMAS admitted it had been a "missed opportunity" regarding the apology and said it had changed its policy to ensure staff had a break of at least 11 hours between shifts following the crash.
HERE IS MORE: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cnlkvgj59nlo