A man received a $780.85 bill for a late ambulance that took over 30 minutes to arrive. Durand Ford Jr. says that his father died while waiting for an ambulance from DC Fire & EMS. In a statement which was posted on NBCWashington.com on Feb. 9, Ford Jr. says,
“I feel angry. Upset,” Ford said. “I’m disturbed that we even received this bill.”
According to Ford, after he and his family noticed his father, Durand Ford Sr., having difficulty with his breathing, they called 911 early New Year's Day.
He made the 911 call at 1:25 a.m., however, by the time the ambulance arrived at 1:58 a.m. -- over 30 minutes later -- his father was already dead.
“We’re still grieving about the situation,” Ford, Jr. said. “[We’re] very angry about what happened and the service we did not receive from the district.”
Based on Prince George’s County Fire & EMS records, on the night of Ford Jr.'s 71-year-old father's death, D.C. ambulances were under-staffed and more than 50 district firefighters had called in sick.
Yvette Alexander, who is a DC Council member and is currently representing the Ford family in this tragic case, told media sources,
“Based on my experience in similar circumstances, DC Fire & EMS has not billed.”
“This seems quite unusual, and I will help the family resolve this matter,” Alexander said.
DC Fire & EMS has failed to comment on the bill they sent the man for the late ambulance.
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