By EMS1 Staff
UNION, S.C. — A paramedic was fined for stopping to purchase sunglasses while en route to an emergency call.
WJCL reported that an EMS crew stopped at a convenience store on the way to a patient who was experiencing flu symptoms so the driver could purchase a pair of sunglasses.
The driver’s partner, an EMT, reported the incident to management, with prompted the Department of Health and Environmental Control to launch an investigation about the November 2018 incident.
In a report released this week, the “department determined the paramedic committed misconduct” for delaying care to the patient. The paramedic was fined $300 and is suspended for six months in addition to completing an EMT ethics and leadership course.