This Week in EMS: A Recap for December 1 - 7, 2007
It has been a busy week for rescuers around the nation with a mall shooting, 2 parking garage collapses, a train collision, and emergency flooding in the Pacific Northwest.
It has been a busy week for rescuers around the nation with a mall shooting, 2 parking garage collapses, a train collision, and emergency flooding in the Pacific Northwest.
In Nebraska this Wednesday, a 19-year-old opened fire at a busy mall, killing eight people and wounding five before killing himself. Robert A. Hawkins had recently split with his girlfriend and been fired from his job at McDonald's, it was reported.
He chose his victims at random, and left behind a note that read, in part, "Now I'll be famous."
Read more at:
Early Thursday, dozens of Jacksonville Fire-Rescue personnel responded to a mass-casualty event when a six-story parking garage under construction collapsed. At least 23 workers were hospitalized, but nearly half were released by the end of the day.
Urban search and rescue teams continued through the night looking for a 26-year-old worker who may have been trapped in the debris.
To follow this story visit
- Search Continues at Florida Collapse Site
- 18 Hospitalized, 1 Missing After Florida Parking Garage Collapse
In a separate incident Thursday in Charlotte, North Carolina, a portion of a parking deck at a mall collapsed, killing the driver who may have triggered the accident by crashing into the structure. Visit 1 Dead in North Carolina Parking Deck Collapse.
On Monday the Pacific Northwest was smacked with hurricane-force winds and several inches of rain, which was blamed for five deaths in Oregon and Washington state.
The governors of both Washington and Oregon declared states of emergency. In Washington, some 130 people had to be rescued from flooded areas.
Read the article, Storms Pound Pacific Northwest.
Last Friday, Nov. 30, an Amtrak train hit a stationary freight train in Chicago, Illinois, injuring dozens of people.
Most of the 187 passengers onboard the Pere Marquette traveling to Chicago from Grand Rapids, Mich., walked away without major injuries from the impact, reported the Associated Press.
The accident sent 71 people to hospitals. Three people - one Amtrak crew member and two passengers - were hospitalized overnight and released Saturday.
Read more and view photos at Amtrak, Freight Trains Collide in Chicago.
Funeral services with bagpipers and a helicopter fly-over were held Monday in Missouri for a first responder who collapsed at an EMS call last week. Wilfred "Willie" Livingston, 33, was a member of the Cole County First Responders.
On Nov. 28, Livingston had assisted with a medical call about 1 a.m. "Just after the patient was loaded into the ambulance, he complained of having shortness of breath. The other crew members gave him oxygen and called for a second ambulance," said Capt. Kevin Wieberg. He went into cardiac arrest, and CPR was initiated immediately. He was taken to a hospital where he passed away later that evening, Wieberg said.
"Willie enjoyed helping others. He was very, very, very dedicated," Wieberg said. "He died doing what he loved to do." Read the article by EMSResponder.com at Missouri Responder Mourned after On-Duty Death.
Rescuers in Alaska were still awaiting news Friday on a LifeGuard helicopter that disappeared this week over Prince William Sound while carrying a patient, pilot, paramedic, and nurse.
A multipronged search has continued for several days involving military, state and private resources, including snowmachines. The search will continue until the Air Guard's Rescue Coordination Center determines all efforts have been made or until the weather becomes a danger.
Read the latest at Alaska Copter's Crew Known for Savvy; Hope Remains.
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