North Carolina Medic Loses Legs in Wreck
A tractor-trailer caused a chain-reaction wreck on Interstate 77 Thursday that pinned a paramedic to a guardrail, severing his legs, authorities said.
A tractor-trailer caused a chain-reaction wreck on Interstate 77 Thursday that pinned a paramedic to a guardrail, severing his legs, authorities said.
Tim Hayes was in critical condition late Thursday at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. Medic officials said it was the worst on-duty injury for a paramedic since the agency took over Mecklenburg's ambulance service more than 20 years ago.
Hayes and his partner were helping victims of a weather-related wreck about 2:30 p.m. just south of Exit 30 near Davidson. The initial wreck involved two sport utility vehicles, according to Davidson police. Hayes' partner, on the shoulder of the southbound lane, saw what looked like an out-of-control tractor-trailer headed toward them, officials said.
"He shouted some sort of warning to (Hayes) and was able to jump over the guardrail," said Paige Sheehan, a Medic spokeswoman.
The tractor-trailer slammed into the ambulance, which then hit a Jeep, which pushed Hayes against the guardrail, Sheehan said. The partner, whose name wasn't released, immediately began treating Hayes, she said.
Hayes was taken to Lake Norman Regional Medical Center by ambulance and then flown to Carolinas Medical Center. Sheehan said no one else was seriously hurt.
Robert Alexander, who was driving the tractor-trailer that started the chain-reaction wreck, was charged with failure to reduce speed. Further details were not available.
The I-77 wreck was one of more than 100 investigated by the N.C. Highway Patrol in the Charlotte area beginning early Thursday. A storm dumped up to 8 1/2 inches of snow in the area. The wreck shut down southbound traffic for about three hours and northbound lanes for at least an hour after the wreck.
The accident underscores the peril many emergency workers face when responding to wrecks. As Medic officials and Hayes' wife and other relatives prayed for his recovery, colleagues praised his professionalism.
"Tim is one of the people that everyone likes," said John "Gator" McCluskey, a paramedic crew chief who has known Hayes for six years. "Things like this always happen to the good people. Not only is he a good paramedic, he's also a good person."
McCluskey said the most dangerous roadways in Mecklenburg for emergency responders are the heavily traveled I-77, Interstate 85 and Independence Boulevard, he said.
"You position the (ambulance) the best you can, but you never have the perfect scene," he said. "In icy conditions, you can't control what other people do."
Counselors were made available to emergency responders hours after the wreck. Troopers and paramedics also met late Thursday to discuss the wreck.
Hayes, a paramedic crew chief, has been employed by Medic for seven years, officials said. Colleagues said he had been a paramedic in West Virginia, where's he's from.
Hospital officials said he was still in the operating room late Thursday. No other details were released.
Fund Established to Aid Paramedic and His Family
Source: Medic911.com
In response to the overwhelming community support for Paramedic Tim Hayes, a fund has been established in his name at Bank of America.
Tim was seriously injured Thursday while treating patients involved in a minor car crash on I-77 in northern Mecklenburg County. According to eyewitnesses, an out of control tractor-trailer slammed into the Medic ambulance and the other vehicles that were parked on the highway
