Intense clip of cop pulling over an ambulance

[Dr T]

Please be advised that this clip is kind of intense. It is the video of an ambulance being pulled over by an Oklahoma cop while they were transporting a patient to the hospital. I posted it to see what u all think. Was it right to pull them over? Was it right for the person in charge to approach the police man and tell him that they can handle it when they get to the hospital? Was this police just on a power trip? What ought the police man do in this situation? What should the driver have done?

Here is the clip on the way to the hospital

[Dr T]

I just saw this link was broken so I found it and post it again. It starts at about 2:00 into it if u want to watch it.

[BenRaines]

Trooper Claims Dashboard Cam Upholds His Actions - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com

Results of investigation and officers dash cam.

Ben Raines

[Dr T]

More info on this:

[Dr T]

From what you saw Ben, what do u think?

[JohnnyRudick]

I wish I had brodband.

I have to wait and see how it all comes out.

From what I have seen on TV - Fox News as my main source of Info,

I go with the Policeman for now.

Of course I believed OJ guilty before the trial was over also:)

Bro. Rudick

[Wingnut]

Of course I believed OJ guilty before the trial was over also:)

So? I still believe he's guilty.

[hordak]

The wife is in bed or i would ask her, but i'm wondering why the ambulance was running the the hospital with a patient without using it lights?

[lestertheemt]

I'll just add my 2 cents..............................

1. the trooper did have the right to make the stop.

2. on the defense of the ambulance driver (been there done that) it is hard to see and hear in those boxes....some even have headphones so that you can hear your medic in the back, which doesn't allow to hear much of anything else.

3. was there another medic in the back of the ambulance????????? If not then the paramedic should NOT have left the back of the rig!!!! Leaving a pt. un-attended can be considered pt. abandonment.

again.....................just my 2 cents

[Dr T]

I don't know. Must they use the lights when nobody else was on the highway? I thought the officer was angry because he didn't move aside. My question is not about innocence or not but really about if the cop ought to have followed them to the hospital or not or if that put him at too much risk or what the prudent thing to do was.

[Dr T]

good thoughts Les :)

[pam]

I can kind of see some negative things on both sides. I think the officer was a little overboard..but I also think the medic in the back should have stayed in the back with the patient. From what I understand, an ambulance does not have to have it's lights flashing if the patient is not in severe danger such as life threatening. There are many times ambulances are used in transport only.

I have a friend that had day surgery. Because the surgery ended up being much more intense than what they intended they decided to admit her to the closest hospital. Which then required transport by ambulance. Not a life or death situation, it was transport only.

[john doe]

My thoughts:

Dr. T, there were cars on the road, the ambulance passed another car just prior to being passed by the trooper.

The only reason I can think that they were not running with lights is as the trooper said on the video, there was no emergency. Sometimes ambulances transport people who are not in immediate medical need, thus there is no need to run the lights and siren.

Why did the EMT, or the supervisor, as he called him, jump out of the back so quickly? That is unexplained to me, and may help explain why the trooper got so aggressive so quickly. It was unexpected and unusual. He was dealing with two people who jumped out of their vehicle and approached him. He was trying to control the situation. Obviously this also triggers to me that the patient was not in an emergency situation. Why did the ambulance driver jump out so quickly? Troopers see people running out of a vehicle toward them as a threat.

I think all involved wish they had handled themselves differently. I can't fault the trooper 100%, but I imagine he wishes he had just stopped them and said he would follow them to the hospital and they would sort it out there. He also didn't need to go around later again and tell the guy he was going to jail. While I understand that he was doing that to control the situation, it looks to me like that only served to escalate the tensions.

[lestertheemt]

There are numerous times when we don't have to run lights and sirens. As Pam mentioned if it is a interfacility transport or if in fact the lead medic doesn't feel that it is necessary.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the fact that the driver exited the vehicle--------that in and of itself can make an officers tension increase. Add that to some one coming out the back the poor officer was outnumbered and he can't read their minds.

[pam]

I agree with JD. I think all parties involved could have handled each of their parts in this a little differently.

[Moksha]

Maybe some are seeing exculpatory evidence based on the offending officer representing both authority that must be obeyed without steadying the ark or it could be some other unnamed factor.

Otherwise, Police Officers should be ensuring that patient's reached the hospital ASAP, without hindering an ambulance.

:)

[Dr T]

If you were on the jury of a case with this scenario what would u do?

[pam]

It's hard to say..there was so much yelling going on when several other people got involved, I couldn't really tell what was being said.

[Moksha]

Trooper addressing the situation in a

calm and professional manner.

[Dr T]

Moksha you crack me up! I think the argument was "we need to get to the hosptial" and "my wife is in here and needs to get to the hospital", and "I'm driving to the hospital," and "My mom needs to get to the hospital as soon as possible!"

and

"I said pull over!" But I'm not too sure...

[Mahonri]

I'm going with the cop in this particular situation, but I don't want to. We need more cool heads in law enforcement AND in ambulances!

[hordak]

My thoughts:

Dr. T, there were cars on the road, the ambulance passed another car just prior to being passed by the trooper.

The only reason I can think that they were not running with lights is as the trooper said on the video, there was no emergency. Sometimes ambulances transport people who are not in immediate medical need, thus there is no need to run the lights and siren.

Why did the EMT, or the supervisor, as he called him, jump out of the back so quickly? That is unexplained to me, and may help explain why the trooper got so aggressive so quickly. It was unexpected and unusual. He was dealing with two people who jumped out of their vehicle and approached him. He was trying to control the situation. Obviously this also triggers to me that the patient was not in an emergency situation. Why did the ambulance driver jump out so quickly? Troopers see people running out of a vehicle toward them as a threat.

I think all involved wish they had handled themselves differently. I can't fault the trooper 100%, but I imagine he wishes he had just stopped them and said he would follow them to the hospital and they would sort it out there. He also didn't need to go around later again and tell the guy he was going to jail. While I understand that he was doing that to control the situation, it looks to me like that only served to escalate the tensions.

I concur but think since it was a non emergency the officer did what was right by not following them to the hospital. I have been pulled over a few times and never had the option of getting to my destination before it's worked out because the goal of the officer is public safety, in which case the problem needs to be addressed then and there.

[Gwen]

i thought if any emergency vehicle (fire truck, ambulance, cop, etc) is driving without lights and sirens they have to follow road laws (speed limit, pulling over for other emergency vehicles, stop signs, traffic lights, etc). when two emergency vehicles with lights etc are running not sure what the protocol is, but if everyone else on the road pulls over there should be enough road for the one going faster to pass with no conflict between the two.

i think from the video they all looked very riled up. all on a bit of a power trip. all had adrenalin running. give them all a stern talking to, clarify the rules, maybe a time out for bad behavior and move on with life.

[BenRaines]

Until you put on a uniform of a police officer and know the danger you face from every person you encounter I think it is hard to judge.

Someone tell me how a police officer is to know that those in an ambulance, running without lights and failing to yield will know for sure that the people in the ambulance are who they say they are. When, as an officer, you have someone approach you and fail to do as you ask "Stay in the car, get back in the car" then you have to take action for your own personal protection.

When you have walked a mile or two in an officers shoes then you can make a judgment based on some phone video.

I stand with the officer.

Ben Raines

[hordak]

Until you put on a uniform of a police officer and know the danger you face from every person you encounter I think it is hard to judge.

Someone tell me how a police officer is to know that those in an ambulance, running without lights and failing to yield will know for sure that the people in the ambulance are who they say they are. When, as an officer, you have someone approach you and fail to do as you ask "Stay in the car, get back in the car" then you have to take action for your own personal protection.

When you have walked a mile or two in an officers shoes then you can make a judgment based on some phone video.

I stand with the officer.

Ben Raines