By Bill Carey
EMS1
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Rochester Mayor Malik Evans has called for an investigation after a Rochester man was asked to get out of an ambulance and left on the ground for more than two minutes without help.
On Nov. 30, an unidentified man was in an AMR ambulance on the way to the hospital when EMS personnel called Rochester police to have him removed after he assaulted a crewmember, WHAM reported.
One of the ambulance crewmembers is heard telling officers that the man grabbed her and would not let go.
A video released by the city shows the man, who stated he was having trouble breathing, being asked by police officers to leave an ambulance and wait on the street for another ambulance to arrive to take him to the hospital.
It also shows the man falling facedown onto the sidewalk and lying still for more than two minutes before police and EMS personnel helped him.
The man died a month later. The cause of death was not reported.
“Even though this was a medical scene, there are always lessons to be learned — particularly as it relates to what type of ambulance services or medical services our community are experiencing,” Evans said. “City residents are people, and they deserve to be treated humanely and with the same attention as anyone else.”
Rochester Police Chief David Smith has also called for an internal investigation.
AMR shared a statement with WHAS:
“With respect to the City of Rochester’s January 11th press conference about a November 30, 2023, incident. We reached out to the family and do not have permission to speak about the details of this incident due to patient privacy laws. We viewed the video for the first time yesterday and have launched an internal investigation. We have also requested an investigation by the New York State Department of Health Bureau of EMS and Trauma Systems.”
