Oct 04, 2023

IAEP Members Aid in Aftermath of Ohio Ambulance Crash

Members of IAEP Local R7-252 responded to an ambulance crash in Chardon, Ohio last week to render aid to the victims. One person died in the crash.
 
Local news outlets reported that South Central Ambulance District Unit 639 was transporting a patient to University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center late Tuesday night when the driver of a Jeep Wrangler failed to yield to the ambulance and struck it at an intersection. The Wrangler caught fire, and the ambulance overturned off of the roadway.
 
Local 252 members of Community Care Ambulance who were on duty in the area at the time were called to the scene to treat those who were impacted by the crash. The EMT who was driving the ambulance was transported to UH Geauga and released after being treated for minor injuries. William Maley, the 47-year-old who was being transported via the ambulance, was pronounced dead at the scene as a result of injuries suffered in the crash. Jesse Sopko, the paramedic who was attending to Maley in the back of the ambulance, suffered serious injuries and was flown to UH Cleveland to undergo surgery.
 
The driver of the Wrangler suffered no serious injuries. Investigators believe drugs and alcohol may have contributed to the crash. While the crash remains under investigation, the Wrangler driver has been charged with aggravated vehicular homicide and two counts of aggravated vehicular assault.
 
The IAEP encourages people to donate to Paramedic Sopko’s GoFundMe page to financially support his recovery.
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