First Responder, Patient Die In Las Vegas Boulevard Rollover

LAS VEGAS, NV - A patient and a first responder were killed when an non-emergency transportation vehicle overturned on Las Vegas Blvd. and I-215 late Monday night. The driver of the vehicle was treated for minor injuries and was released from the hospital. The incident is under investigation but Jason Buratczuk of Nevada Highway Patrol said the crash may be related to wet conditions on the roads.

"The pavement was slick, so we think this might have something to do - weather related," Buratczuk said at a press conference Tuesday.

The vehicle was a Nevada Medi-Car, a subsidiary of American Medical Response which provides non-medical interfacility transportation of patients. The specific division of AMR involved in the rollover Monday night does not respond to emergency calls. Since patients may be bed ridden or in a wheelchair, the "gurney van," the victim was in Monday night safely restrains the patient in the vehicle, as a seatbelt would.

According to Scott White, regional director of AMR in Las Vegas, a vehicle began conducting a "non-emergent" transportation of a patient from a local hospital and a skilled nursing facility in Las Vegas at 11:29 p.m.

The patient was in the back of the vehicle with the attendant. At 11:48 p.m., the driver of the vehicle called out "mayday" twice, White said. The dispatcher at AMR signaled a "Code 5," which alerted local fire and police responses. AMR sent personnel to the scene where members of the Clark County fire Department were trying to remove the victims from the crash, White said.

The name of the patient was not released. The first responder who passed away has been identified as 57-year old Gary John, a four-year employee of AMR.

"He definitely has a personality that is very friendly in nature. People really like to communicate with him, associate with him and," White paused, "so that's going to be hitting some of us pretty hard."

White described John as a hard worker who was respected by patients and coworkers. John, like all of AMR's staff, was involved in responding to the Oct. 1 shooting on the Las Vegas Strip, White said.

"I think all of our organizations, we have those guys that come to work, they get the job done, and they go home. That was Gary," White said. "Never any issues the last four years, patients respected him, his coworkers liked him and respected him. He's going to be sorely missed."

The identity of the patient could not be released on Tuesday. White said the incident has shaken the entire department.

"To know we had someone in our car and we had that issue, we're definitely shaken up about that. I want to send (the patient's family) our deepest condolences. We're hurting today because of this," White said.

Buratczuk referenced the conditions of the road, but said the investigation will tell exactly what happened that led to the crash.

The driver of the vehicle has been employed by AMR since December 2016. White said that drivers are required to take an emergency vehicle operations course. The training entails a day inside of a classroom, and an additional day on a track "navigating through cone courses and such, in order to operate the vehicle safely."

"The physical injuries and whatnot are very minor, so he's fine in that way," White said of the driver, who was not identified. "But he's devastated by this incident. He's devastated about the entire thing, as we all are." For employee support, White said that counselors would be at the facility on Tuesday, much like in the wake of the Oct. 1 shooting.

"It truly hits home for all of us here in Clark County,"Buratczuk said.

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