By EMS1 Staff
MORA, N.M. — A New Mexico ambulance service must prove to the state that it’s capable of responding to calls after a teenager died before an ambulance arrived.
According to an investigative report by KOB.com, more than a dozen patients in need of transport have been left stranded since last October.
The Public Regulation Commission is now asking for a monthly status report from Mora County Ambulance, showing the time and date of every ambulance call and response. In the case of the teenager that died, a 15-year-old was crushed under a truck at a work site in May. An ambulance never arrived and the teen died, according to the report. An ambulance from a different county arrived nearly 40 minutes after the incident.
KOB.com investigators obtained state records which showed that the Mora County Ambulance didn’t show up because the driver couldn’t leave his children home alone. A secondary driver, according to records, wasn’t scheduled.
Mora County Ambulance told PRC officials that it is understaffed and that overtime was straining their budget. They have until November to the make the changes demanded by the PRC. If they’re not made, the PRC will fine the ambulance service or revoke its certificate.