Bill for late ambulance? Source say a dead man's family received an EMS $780 bill for an ambulance that arrived tool late to save him. Paramedics were called Jan. 1 when the man had trouble breathing but when it arrived some 30 minutes later, the Washington D.C. man was dead. Now the family want answers about the bill and under-staffing rumors.
According to a Feb. 11 report from Inquisitr, Durand Ford Jr., who was already speaking out about an alleged firefighter's "sick-out" on New Years Eve. And to add insult to injury, the man's family got an even bigger shocker when they received a bill for the late ambulance.
Based on reports, an emergency call was placed about 1:25 a.m. on New Year's Eve when 71-year-old Durand Ford Sr. went into apparent cardiac arrest.
Because mobile EMS units are with the fire departments, a DC firetruck was dispatched and arrived about nine minutes later. Reportedly, an ambulance was not available for transport.
Nonetheless, based on logs from Prince George's County Fire & EMS records, local firemen did not call for help until 1:47 a.m.
A unit was dispatched from Oxon Hill and arrived 11 minutes later. By then, Ford was dead and the family was slapped with what one media source is calling an "outrageous bill" for an ambulance that arrived too late.
The son, who spoke to the media about the incident said he's very upset over the matter.
"And I'm disturbed that we even received this bill. ... My sister and I are still grieving about the situation. [We're] very angry about what happened and the service we did not receive from the district."
On allegations some 50 firemen allegedly called in sick on the day the man passed away, a spokesperson said there is no truth to the rumors. However, the family believes a planned sickout could have been behind the lack of response time, according to NBCWashington. Therefore, they want a full investigation.
Many readers in forums claim race could be a factor in the delayed response time; the family lives in a predominately African American neighborhood, just one mile from the firehouse.
Is the bill for the late ambulance arrival fair?
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