COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A man is accused of hitting a paramedic and shoving her head against the cabinet in the back of an ambulance, while he was being treated as a patient.
In an exclusive report, Channel 2′s Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell was LIVE for Channel 2 Action News at 6 p.m.
According to court documents, the incident became violent while the patient was being taken to a hospital.
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The patient is charged with a felony and an arrest warrant is currently being processed, according to the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office.
“Both of the medics on that specific unit are doing well,” said Dennis Westover, the director of The Metro Atlanta Ambulance Service.
Westover has 42 years of experience in Emergency Medical Services and has been with the Metro Atlanta Ambulance Service for the past 22 years.
“During the last four or five years there’s been an increase,” said Westover.
Westover is referring to the increase in violence against EMTs and Paramedics.
“Unfortunately when anyone gets hurt in public safety it’s one too many,” said Westover.
Last week, a medic was trying to care for a patient on the way to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital.
Police say the patient became violent and hit the medic a number of times, then shoved her head into the ambulance cabinet more than once, before grabbing her wrists.
It’s unclear what caused the patient to act this way.
Westover says each ambulance has safety features medics have easy access to, making the call for help in a dangerous situation quickly.
“They are all GPS coded so dispatchers know exactly where they are at. It also has a panic button,” said Westover.
Westover says most times EMTs and Medics are walking into unknown situations.
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“Any scenario could become volatile at any particular time. We rely on our training, our experience and sometimes spider systems. Anytime we arrive on scene and it’s not safe we get backup forces to secure the scene,” said Westover.
The executive director of the Georgia EMS Association says she’s seen an increase in patient attacks on EMTs and Paramedics, statewide.
“We’re obviously very concerned about the safety of all of our providers across the state. There are a lot of EMS services not only private but also county and fire-based operations that are putting more cameras in ambulances to monitor those situations,” said Kimberly Littleton.
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