Ambulance Crash-Related Injuries Among Emergency Medical Services Workers - United States, 1991-2002

Ambulance crashes are one of many hazards faced by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel. Although no complete national count of ground ambulance crashes exists, the total number of fatal crashes involving ambulances can be ascertained by using the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). To characterize risk factors for EMS workers involved in ambulance crashes, CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and NHTSA investigated three case reports of ambulance crashes. This report summarizes these investigations, presents surveillance data, and discusses recommendations for prevention measures. NIOSH is identifying and testing alternative measures to reduce injury risk for EMS workers.

Case Reports
Case 1. In May 2001, an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) aged 26 years died when her ambulance was struck head-on by a pick-up truck at 6:30 a.m. The EMT had been riding unrestrained in the patient compartment while attending a patient during a nonemergency transport. During the collision, the EMT struck the front bulkhead of the patient compartment; she died en route to the hospital from blunt force trauma to the head and chest. The patient and pick-up driver also suffered fatal injuries. The ambulance driver had been driving unrestrained and suffered multiple serious injuries, including a fractured leg.

Case 2. In July 2001, an EMT aged 27 years died when her ambulance struck an elevated train-track support column at 12:30 p.m. She had been riding unrestrained in the patient compartment while attending a patient during a nonemergency transport. During the collision, the EMT and the patient both struck the front bulkhead of the patient compartment. Both the driver and patient were hospitalized; the EMT was transported to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Case 3. In March 2002, an EMT aged 22 years who was driving and a paramedic aged 37 years were injured when their ambulance struck an oncoming vehicle head-on and overturned. The paramedic was riding unrestrained on the patient compartment squad bench while attending a patient during a nonemergency transport. A relative of the patient was seated in the rear-facing attendant's seat and was wearing a seatbelt. During the collision, the unrestrained EMT driver sustained minor injuries. The paramedic struck the interior cabinets and shelves of the patient compartment. The EMT and the paramedic were transported to a hospital, where the EMT was treated and released; the paramedic was hospitalized and released 2 days later. The patient's injuries included scalp and shoulder contusions and a shoulder laceration. The patient's relative sustained minor internal injuries.

Surveillance Data
During 1991--2000, the most recent year for which data were available, 300 fatal crashes occurred involving occupied ambulances, resulting in the deaths of 82 ambulance occupants and 275 occupants of other vehicles and pedestrians. The 300 crashes involved a total of 816 ambulance occupants. FARS does not differentiate ambulance workers from passengers among those experiencing nonfatal injuries in fatal crashes; however, the seating positions for all occupants and the severity of injuries can be determined from FARS data (Table).

Although which occupants were EMS workers and which were patients or other passengers cannot be ascertained precisely, calculations using the FARS "fatal injury at work" variable based on death certificate information indicate that 27 of the occupants killed were on-duty EMS workers. These comprised 3% of all ambulance occupants and 33% of occupant fatalities.

The majority of the 27 EMS worker fatalities occurred in the front of the vehicle: 11 (41%) in the driver's seat and five (19%) in the front right-side seat.* Those coded as "other enclosed" accounted for seven (26%) of the EMS worker fatalities; these persons probably were working in the patient compartment. Four EMS workers were listed in "other/unknown" seating positions (Table).