Second wreck: This is the ambulance involved in the second EMS wreck this week. Submitted photo

Staff report

Rowan County Emergency Medical Services drivers have been involved in two wrecks this week and in both cases, police said the ambulance drivers were at fault.

The week got off to a bad start Monday when a private vehicle struck a Rowan Rescue Squad ambulance that was being operated by county paramedics.

The Rescue Squad ambulance was in use because a county ambulance was out of service for repair.

On Tuesday afternoon, during period of very heavy call volume, a county ambulance rear-ended a pickup on N.C. 153 west of Landis, causing a second collision and sending three people to the hospital.

The driver, David Bent of New London, was charged with failure to reduce speed.

Bent, a paramedic, is a part-time employee who has worked with the county since July 2006.

Frank Thomason, county emergency services director, said Wednesday that the county is conducting a review of the accident that will take into account the N.C. Highway Patrol's accident report.

Once the review is completed, Thomason will made a recommendation for possible disciplinary action.

Thomason said the ambulance, a 2004 Ford, is a total loss. It was scheduled for replacement next year.

The vehicle loss and expected claims from others involved in the wreck will be covered under the county liability insurance policy through the Volunteer Fire Insurance Service.

Tony Hilton, the county's risk manager, said that although Rowan relies heavily on its self-insurance program, EMS vehicles are insured through Volunteer Fire Insurance, which also provides insurance for fire departments and rescue squads.

The first wreck happened shortly before 9 a.m. Monday as a Rowan County Rescue Squad ambulance being operated by EMS responded to a call on West A Street in Kannapolis.

Landis Police Chief Reggie Faggart said the ambulance was heading south on U.S. 29 when the driver, Tony Jason Brown, tried to make a right turn onto Ryder Avenue from the left lane of the four-lane highway.

Faggart said the ambulance turned in front of a pickup driven by Shon Michael Christian Whitley, 25, of 220 Harkey Ave., Kannapolis. Whitley did not have time to stop and he rear-ended the ambulance.

The ambulance was not damaged, but Whitley's truck sustained an estimated $1,000 damage.

Faggart said no citation was written but that the police report will reflect that Brown was at fault.

Rowan EMS has had some busy periods recently as the call volume has spiked, possibly due in part to the excessive heat complicating medical conditions.

On Tuesday, the volume was so high that the county called in Rescue Squad units to help handle the calls.

Thomason said that's the way it's supposed to work. He added that three county fire departments — China Grove, Enochville and Rockwell Rural — have ambulance franchises and transport patients when needed.

Keeping ambulances running with adequate staffing through such high call volume continues to be a challenge. A total of seven ambulances are on-line 24 hours a day.

"Today, we're fully staffed," Thomason said. He added, though, "We've had significant turnover in the last two years. It's an ongoing problem, not local but it's a problem across the state and nation."