On July 14, Paramedic Kevin Wells, 40, was riding his motorcycle home after an overnight shift with Maryland ExpressCare, the critical care transport arm of the University of Maryland Medical System, when he was killed in a crash involving two other vehicles.
A volunteer since the age of 18, Wells volunteered with Calvert (County) Advanced Life Support and worked part-time for Charles County (Maryland) EMS.
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Medical directors and colleagues describe the veteran paramedic as a quiet, confident clinician who provided exceptional patient care, genuine friendship, laughter and pure heart — he will be missed.
“There was never pushback, there was never hesitation. It was quiet confidence with the skill to back it up — the quintessential and ideal team player,” Maryland ExpressCare Assistant Medical Director Dr. Jeffrey Nusbaum described Wells. “Discussing a case or potential transport with Kevin, the answer was always the same: ’No problem, we got this.’”
“Kevin’s service touched so many patients, families and friends beyond our own program. We’re privileged to have known and worked with him,” Maryland ExpressCare Medical Director Dr. Ben Lawner expressed.
Colleagues and friends continue to process Wells’ death.
Stephen Russo, a Maryland ExpressCare paramedic, shared, “What hits me the hardest — you never think the last conversation is the last one.”
“The Gentle Giant”
In a tribute to Wells on the University of Maryland Medical System site, one team member wrote, “knowing Kevin meant that you’d experience genuine friendship, laughter and a pure heart. He was a gentle giant that was always there when you needed him. His smile, warmth and joy will be missed greatly.”
“Every patient adored him, even our youngest patients,” said Casey Day, a transport team nurse at ExpressCare’s Aberdeen base.
In another tribute, Noel Carty, an ExpressCare team nurse from Baltimore, recalled her first experience with Wells. “We picked up a crying, special needs child. Kevin was a strong, tattooed, gentle giant who calmed the boy down so easily. The kid reached for Kevin’s hand and calmly held it the (entire) ride,” Carty said. “That moment confirmed what a cool, kind person he truly was.”
Holding a child’s hand isn’t a skill you can teach in paramedic school, noted Maryland ExpressCare Paramedic Kevin Gebicke. “You don’t have a module in paramedic school on how to be a good human,” Gebicke said. “It is not a trainable skill to be a good person, Kevin just had it.” Wells had an innate ability to know when to be a human first, before being a clinician. “It’s not easy to get the average 40-year-old guy that is 6 feet tall to turn into a marshmallow,” Gebicke said. “His calming tone and demeanor made him stand out,” Gebicke said. “People go through different things and emotions. He helped set a more positive attitude.”
Another team member honored Wells by saying, “a big guy with an even bigger heart — super kind, incredibly generous and he touched hearts across all ExpressCare bases.”
“Never turned anyone away”
Paramedic Devin Ward met Wells nearly a decade ago while working together at George Washington University Hospital’s critical care transport team. “This is tough for me and the first loss I have experienced in my life,” Ward said. “Kevin was my best friend, the person I always called and confided in. He was my emergency contact throughout my Guardian Flight career and flight training.” After Ward moved to Las Vegas to work for American Medical Response, Wells went to visit him. “We would always have so much fun wandering around the strip. He was such an amazing person and loved to travel and experience life,” Ward shared. He returned to Maryland for work, where Wells mentored him through the critical care paramedic course and prepared him for the flight paramedic certification exam. “He was always the one I called when I needed advice or help or just to chat and share my adventures and vice versa,” Ward said. “He was extremely patient with me when I was a 19-year-old EMT. Kevin was a remarkable and kind soul and helped so many people. I hope his legacy of quality care and his bedside manner remain.”
“He was kind, thoughtful and always there for anyone who needed his help,” Jeremy Mayer, a Maryland ExpressCare paramedic assigned to Baltimore, shared. “I’m honestly still processing him being gone. I expect to walk into work and see him. I haven’t been able to put into words what he meant to the team and to us on night shift. Losing him has been really tough.”
Wells floated to all the ExpressCare bases within the system on a regular basis and got to know each base and every single member of the team. ExpressCare team members said Wells was an accomplished cook and event planner who devoted as much attention to caring for coworkers and friends as he did his patients. As a chairperson on the team’s social committee, Wells regularly spent time planning events for staff to gather outside of work in addition to preparing meals from scratch for crews working holidays.
“He enjoyed getting everyone together outside of work,” Russo said. “Whether it was a cookout, dinner or just hanging out at his house, he always made it happen.” Russo said that the team always looked forward to those nights. Wells had a way of bringing people together without ever making it feel like he was trying — that’s just who he was. “The food was amazing — Kevin was one hell of a cook and baker, and I still think about some of the cakes he made,” Russo said. “It was more than that. It gave all of us a chance to step away from work for a little while, laugh, bust each other’s chops and just enjoy being together.”
Russo said he will continue to think of Wells every time there is a work get-together, while they are sitting around a table with good food and laughing, or he takes a trip somewhere new. Those moments will remind him of the conversations they had, the memories they made and how lucky he was to have known Kevin. “He made life a little more enjoyable for people around him, and I don’t think any of us will ever forget that,” Russo said.
“Reminded all of us to take some pleasure in the moment”
Wells had two speeds — working nonstop or traveling the world, according to Gebicke. “You would see him for three or four days in a row at work, and wake up and he was posting on Instagram from another country,” Gebicke said. “Some of my favorite things about him were seeing his travel photos or even his photos around Baltimore.” A talented photographer, “He just did it for fun. It made him happy,” Gebicke added.
Lawner recalled Wells’ travels as well. “Those excursions were highlighted by a parallel fondness for pumpkin spice coffee. Those social media windows reminded all of us to take some pleasure in the moment and treasure the times in between work and other obligations,” Lawner said.
“He loved travel, his profession and his colleagues,” Dr. Rishi Kundi, Chief of Vascular and Endovascular Trauma Surgery at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, Maryland GO Team medical director and former MIEMSS Critical Care Coordination Center physician said. “What became clear after his passing is that a love for Kevin and gratitude for his friendship connects people from all over the DMV.”
Dr. Kundi worked with Wells at Maryland’s first critical care coordination center, started in 2020 to assist hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Afterwards, we stayed in touch,” Kundi said. “Kevin was always extracting the most life possible out of his days.”
“Thank you for reminding us that the best teams are built on connection, compassion and friendship,” Jill Dannenfelser, an ExpressCare nurse in Baltimore said. “We promise to carry on your mission. We’ll keep getting together. We’ll keep laughing. We’ll keep looking out for one another, just as you always encouraged us to do.”
A Celebration of Life for Wells is planned in October.
