UPDATE ON FEB. 23: A funeral was held for 57-year-old Garry John, the AMR employee killed in the rollover crash.
For co-workers, the loss stings especially hard because of how rare these accidents are. They believe John is the only AMR they've seen die in the line of duty.
John was given a full honor guard, and a tribute with one last radio call in his memory.
Co-workers say John died a hero, trying to shield the patient in the van, who also died. They also remember him as an avid pool player and kind person with a calm demeanor perfect for the field he worked in. "He was enjoyable to everyone," says co-worker Zac Ratner-Miller. "If you needed a shoulder to cry on, he was there."
UPDATE ON FEB. 14: The Nevada Highway Patrol identified the patient that was killed in the crash as 58-year-old Robert Niedbalski from North Las Vegas.
A preliminary investigation by NHP Troopers reveals that the driver of the ambulance was traveling too fast for the wet road conditions near Las Vegas Boulevard and the 215 beltway. The vehicle rotated counterclockwise, went off the roadway to the left, struck a fence and overturned.
This marks the 7th fatal crash investigated by NHP for 2018.
UPDATE AT 12:15 P.M. AMR identified the employee killed in the crash last night as 57-year-old Garry John during a press conference at noon.
Scott White, regional director for AMR and MedicWest, says that John was a quiet but personable and friendly employee. John had been employed by AMR for 4 years. He was not an EMT as was reported earlier. He is being described as an attendant.
White says that their dispatch center heard a mayday call at 11:48 p.m. Monday.The exact cause of the crash is still unknown at this time. The employees were transporting the patient in a non-medical transport vehicle between a local hospital and a care facility.
The driver has been released from the hospital. White says that the driver is "devastated" by the incident. White also said that they will be reviewing dashcam footage from the incident.
White thanked Nevada Highway Patrol for their response to the crash and for escorting the bodies to the coroner's office.
ORIGINAL STORY
Two people died when an ambulance rolled over near Las Vegas Boulevard and the 215 Beltway.
Nevada Highway Patrol says that an EMT in his 50s and patient were killed.
The driver of the ambulance was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. The driver has since been released.
NHP says that the driver lost control of the ambulance on a ramp. NHP says that the road was slick because of recent rain and most likely contributed to the crash.
The ambulance belonged to American Medical Response, according to NHP. It was transporting the patient to an after-care facility.
AMR said the crew picked up the patient around 11:30 p.m. Monday. Shortly after, a crew member contacted AMR dispatch to notify them about the crash. AMR supervisors and management responded to the scene to provide assistance.
AMR released a statement after the crash.
“This is a sad day for our teams and our community,” said AMR Las Vegas Regional Director Scott White. “Our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of our team member and the patient as they deal with their loss. We are grateful one of our other team members survived and is out of the hospital.”
White will hold a media briefing at noon Tuesday.
The Clark County coroner will identify the deceased after relatives have been notified.
The AMR employee who died in the crash was given a line of duty escort to the coroner’s office and was met with officers from Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, NHP and members of AMR management.
NHP Troopers, @LVMPD_Traffic and First Responders from @AMRLasVegas have finished the escort of the fallen AMR First Responder from the scene of last nights Fatal Crash. Rest In Peace Sir. #⚫️🔴⚫️ #⚫️🔵⚫️ #nhpsocomm pic.twitter.com/zVxGKnLERu
— NHP Southern Command (@NHPSouthernComm) February 13, 2018
