Ark. ambulance refuses to respond to rural medical call
Woman dies after waiting for another response
By Heather Crawford
KATV 7
MCCRORY, Ark. — Medical emergencies happen everyday, and patients expect an ambulance to come quickly when they call for one. Channel 7 News, however, has learned of an ambulance company that refused to come in certain cases and the next-nearest service was more than 30 miles away.
Melissa Bumpers, 57, was at her home in McCrory when she fell to the ground around noon December 31. When a neighbor called 911 for her, the dispatcher promised an ambulance would get to her soon but Woodruff County Ambulance Service had its only two units out of the county on other calls.
The only other service in the county, Southern Paramedic, which was not obligated to respond, initially refused to go on the call. This was the radio call that ensued:
Full story: Bumpers dies after ambulance refusal
