Responding Utah Paramedic Seriously Injured After Minivan Rolls Over Him
The paramedic was trying to help a passed out motorist who quickly came to and rolled a minivan with the 66-year-old paramedic halfway inside
Eric Greenhalgh's first thought when hearing his father was in the hospital Monday was that he must have been in a motorcycle wreck.
Instead, Dennis Greenhalgh was injured while trying to help a passed out motorist who quickly came to and rolled a minivan with the 66-year-old paramedic halfway inside.
"When I got up to the hospital and found out exactly what happened, I was really upset with what I heard," Eric said.
According to Eric, his father was partially ejected from the minivan, which then rolled on top of him, crushing one of his vertebrae along with several other serious injuries. Dennis Greenhalgh remained hospitalized in an intensive care unit Thursday following vertebrae surgery.
Eric Greenhalgh said he isn't surprised his dad wanted to help.
Police have said the driver passed out in the northbound lane near 3120 S. 5600 West around 3 p.m. and another motorist flagged down Dennis Greenhalgh's ambulance. After waking up and rolling the minivan with Dennis Greenhalgh inside, the driver fled the scene of the accident on foot. He was arrested two blocks away.
The driver has been booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on suspicion of driving under the influence, and hit and run.
Dennis Greenhalgh is expected to be transferred out of intensive care in the beginning of next week. Eric said he is just happy to see his dad survive a horrific crash.
"I love my dad and I just want him to recover," Eric Greenhalgh said. "Knowing that he isn't paralyzed and isn't dead is heaven." Alt Heads:
Ambulance worker recovering after crash
