By KAREN KELLER
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
Copyright 2006 North Jersey Media Group Inc.,
All Rights Reserved
HAWTHORNE — Patricia Alberta needed to get there fast, so the volunteer ambulance corps member turned on the flashing blue light on the dashboard of her beige 2005 Nissan Altima.
As she headed south on Fifth Avenue at 4:43 p.m. Jan. 14, a car in front of her moved to the right, appearing to pull over to let Alberta pass. But then the driver did just the opposite. He turned left, attempting to pull into his driveway, according to a police report.
Alberta’s car went over the curb and hit a sign. She was injured and taken to The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood. She recuperated from a sprained thumb eight weeks later, but felt sick again when the insurance bill came.
Her auto insurer, State Farm Insurance Cos., found her partly liable for the accident. Alberta, 52, felt doubly wronged — by the driver who didn’t yield and by the company, which seemed not to care she was an emergency worker.
According to state law, volunteer emergency workers may install a flashing blue light in their personal cars while en route to an emergency, making their vehicles emergency vehicles under the law. State law also says drivers must yield to emergency vehicles.
“There’s a law there, so abide by the law,” Alberta said Wednesday.
However, State Farm spokeswoman Teanice Wells-Ernest said Alberta appeared to have needed a siren or bell, in addition to the blue light, in order for cars to need to yield to her. The state statute Wells-Ernest cited refers to cars and emergency vehicles on highways.
Fifth Avenue is not a highway, but a municipal road, said Detective Lt. James Garrison.
It’s no surprise the other driver didn’t yield to Alberta — these days, people aren’t even yielding to ambulances, blaring lights and all, said Sue Van Orden, president of the New Jersey First Aid Council.
Alberta is now trying to appeal the settlement. She’s contacted a lawyer and has asked for help from state Sen. John Girgenti, D-Hawthorne, she said. Girgenti’s chief of staff, Andre Sayegh, said the senator wants to help, but isn’t sure how yet. Sayegh said the case appears to center on the interpretation of different state statutes.
As of now, Alberta must pay $500 — half her deductible — according to a State Farm letter.
Last year, Alberta was voted Emergency Medical Technician of the Year, because she answered more calls and at more odd hours than anyone else on the Hawthorne squad, said Assistant Chief Kim Urquhart.
“You devote all this time to helping people and this is the thanks you get,” Alberta said.