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KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — An Adair County EMT has been suspended without pay after posting on the Internet photos of a bloody crash involving a young ATV driver and a school bus, a display he said was designed to warn young drivers of the dangers.
Chris Drennan said he got written permission from the parents of 13-year-old Zach Reeves to run photos of the bloodied school bus and smashed ATV following the Aug. 23 accident. Drennan posted the photos on a local Internet bulletin board and said that Reeves had not been wearing a helmet.
A father himself, the 11-year veteran of the Adair County Ambulance District said he thought a graphic presentation would make a more lasting impact on viewers.
“I wanted people to use those pictures and talk to their kids,” he said. “I wanted to give parents a way to say, ‘Hey, look. This is what could happen.’”
The district didn’t see it that way, however, telling him on Sept. 15 that he was suspended for violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and district policy. He will remain on suspension while the district investigates the incident.
The Accountability Act, also known as HIPAA, prohibits the sharing of a person’s medical information with a third party if the information would identify the patient. Anyone who wrongfully obtains, uses or discloses the information can be fined or put in jail.
In the district’s letter to Drennan, obtained by the Kirksville Daily Express, district officials accuse Drennan of disclosing protected patient information, violating ethics rules regarding patient confidentiality and committing an act that brings discredit on the district and questions its safe operation.
While the letter doesn’t spell out the protected information, Drennan said ambulance district Chief Jason Albert told him the suspension was linked to the photos and online comments.
Albert said the suspension was based on other factors besides the photos but wouldn’t comment further, saying it is still an internal personnel matter.
Seth Shumaker, Drennan’s attorney, plans to ask the district at its Oct. 6 meeting for specifics on the accusations. He says that because Drennan got written permission from the boy’s parents, he didn’t violate HIPAA.
“When this is all done, he’ll be reinstated,” Shumaker said. “This is not as big of a deal as some might want to portray it as.”