A patient has passed away after the driver of the ambulance she was in fell asleep and caused an accident.
The tragic moment took place in Adelaide, Australia, where 48-year-old Karen Biddell was being taken to a hospital for her leg ulcers treatment.
While on the way to the clinic, Matthew James McLean, the driver of the ambulance, fell asleep behind the wheel, causing a crash that resulted in Biddell’s death and injuries to another paramedic and the victim’s daughter.
Following the accident, the paramedic was charged with two counts of causing harm and one count of causing death by dangerous driving. Since pleading not guilty, McLean’s case has gone on trial.
As prosecutor Mark Norman SC explained, the vehicle ran up a nearby embankment after the driver attempted to regain control of the ambulance that struck a small tree while it was on cruise control.
“All of that caused the ambulance to roll. It rolled over once and actually ends upright,” the prosecutor explained.
The court also heard that McLean had worked eleven shifts, including four night shifts, in the twelve days leading to the accident. Just days prior to the accident, McLean had also volunteered to do overtime.
While the testing after the crash revealed that McLean had no alcohol or drugs in his system, his representative suggested that his client’s undiagnosed sleep apnea could have contributed to the incident.
“You’ll be asked to find, as a reasonable possibility, that Mr McLean suffered from sleep apnea at the time of the incident, and that caused him to fall asleep suddenly and without any warning,” Stephen Apps said.
The trial is on-going as of this writing.
Replaced!