Last Monday, as many as 30 ATV riders surrounded and stopped a commercial ambulance transporting a sick child. The incident comes after many others involving ATVs and dirt bikes in the D.C. area.
Police released photos of 245 people believed to have been riding bikes illegally, but they face relatively light punishment if they do get caught.
The ambulance was delayed in getting to a hospital, but no one was injured and the patient wasn’t affected. However, after posting the article on Facebook, EMS1 readers were quick to point out their concern and disgust toward the illegal riders. Here are some of our readers’ reaction and comments.
1. “One of the stupidest things about this is an ATV rider opened the ambulance door and told the medic that he cut him off. He is riding on the road illegally. I would have stepped on the gas.” — Scott Vaughn
2. “Easy solution: keep rolling the ambulance. They’ll either move or get their ATVs destroyed.” — Ashley Ray
3. “Seize and forfeit any and all ATVs operating illegally on streets. Second, immediately charge them with impeding emergency vehicle and arrest them forcing them to post bail.” — David Jewel
4. “They need their vehicles impounded. I’ll protect my partner and my patient and ambulance.” — Wells Lee Radford
5. “Typical of people nowadays. They all feel more entitled than anyone else. It doesn’t matter if someone else is sick and dying or someone else’s child is in a bad way getting worse. People believe they are more important.” — Taylor Ince
6. “So, this agency is trying to take a critically ill neonatal child and was illegally detained by ATV riders. One of them was harassed by the ATV rider that was not supposed to be on the street and they tried to pull him out of the ambulance. I believe the only mayor that has responded well to this is N.Y. Stop the illegal ATV and bike gangs. They should have no rights. Smash their bikes on live TV.” — Cathy Lynn
7. “Find them and jail them. Two years each sounds about right.” — Ray Felmly
8. “It says the driver was able to get the door closed and called 911. In that situation, it’s all you can do. You risk a whole lot more by trying to either move them by force or escalating it further to the point that it becomes violent. The medic made the right choice here and had only seconds to do it!” — Mark Callahan
9. “Another good reason to carry.” — Ron Moede