A bill arrived for a late ambulance and a man doesn't understand why. On Feb. 9, NBC Washington reported that Durand Ford, Jr. was sent a bill for $780.85 after he called for an ambulance for his dad last month. His father died while waiting for the ambulance -- which took 30 minutes to arrive -- but the company sent a bill any way.
"I feel angry. Upset. I’m disturbed that we even received this bill. We’re still grieving about the situation. [We’re] very angry about what happened and the service we did not receive from the district," Ford Jr. said.
The bill for the late ambulance was issued to Durand Ford, Jr. by DC Fire & EMS. DC Council member Yvette Alexander said that to her knowledge, a bill had not been sent out. She says that she will work to help the family "resolve" the problem. Whether or not that means that Ford Jr. won't have to pay is unclear.
A firetruck arrived withing 9 minutes of Ford Jr. calling 9-1-1. The ambulance, however, took a half an hour because there "wasn't one available" when Ford Jr. called. DC Fire had to call another county to get an ambulance but didn't do so until 22 minutes after Ford Jr.'s initial call. By then it was too late.
Would you pay a bill for an ambulance that arrived late?
© Effie Orfanides 2013
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