He Acted Quickly To Save Her Life. But What These People Did Is Heartbreaking.

Someday It Might Be You…

On  Sunday night, I responded to a cardiac arrest incident. I ended up driving the ambulance to the hospital so the medics could continue their life-saving efforts. During the emergency transport, I passed over one hundred vehicles. Not one complied with our state laws, which in turn caused a several minute delay in getting the victim to the hospital.

MN law requires drivers to pull over onto the right shoulder,  stop their vehicle, and remained stopped until the emergency vehicle passes. I nearly missed the exit off of I-35 because a  driver went onto the shoulder and kept driving, which created a moving roadblock, preventing me from exiting. Continuing to drive on the shoulder of the road creates dangerous situations for the emergency vehicle occupants and responsible drivers who actually comply with the law.

Other drivers I encountered felt it necessary to drive in the left lane. Emergency vehicles drive in the left lane because drivers are required to move to the right when they see emergency lights.  Vehicles in the left lane cause emergency vehicles to slow down and wait until they move.  This can add minutes to our response time.  Sometimes we don’t  have those minutes to spare.  MN law states that the only time vehicle can be in the left lane is when passing/overtaking another vehicle, when passing a parked emergency vehicle, or when construction requires it.

Imagine if this victim was a loved one of yours. You’d want the seas to part so they could get to the hospital in time, right?It deeply saddens me to say that the victim in this incident did not survive. Would she have survived if the transport hadn’t been delayed due to the irresponsible motorists? I can’t say for sure, but it’s definitely possible.

Please drive responsibly and help us save lives. Someday it might be you.

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