Rochester man forced out of ambulance, left on sidewalk; investigation underway
Rochester Mayor Malik Evans on Thursday addressed an ambulance response on Nov. 30 involving a city resident in a medical crisis on Seneca Ave & Norton St.
A video released by the city shows an unidentified man, who was having trouble breathing, being asked to leave an ambulance and wait on the street for another ambulance to arrive to take him to the hospital. It also shows the man falling to the sidewalk and waiting for more than two minutes before medical personnel helped him.
The man died more than two weeks later, Evans said. The mayor did not elaborate on the man's death or if the death was related to the incident.
"I was flabbergasted to learn this incident happened on Nov. 30," Mayor Evans said.
Rochester police were called to the ambulance to address what was described as an assault of the EMTs on board, Evans said. Police stayed on scene, and were present when the patient fell to the ground, Evans said.
“City residents are people, and they deserve to be treated humanely and with the same attention as anyone else,” Evans said.
Evans has called for the city's ambulance service provider, AMR, to conduct its own in-depth investigation into what happened that night. In addition, Rochester Police Chief David Smith has called for an immediate internal investigation of the incident by that department's Professional Standards Section.
"We must understand how and why this occurred, and we must identify processes and safeguards to ensure that it does not happen again," Evans said.
Mayor Evans stated that he has spoken with the family of the deceased individual, noting that they have not yet received any information from AMR regarding the incident.
"All they want is answers," Mayor Evans said. "We will not stand for procedural delays that hold up critical information."
The following statement was released by a spokesperson for American Medical Response:
With respect to the City of Rochester's January 11th press conference about a November 30, 2023, incident. We reached out to the family and do not have permission to speak about the details of this incident due to patient privacy laws. We viewed the video for the first time yesterday and have launched an internal investigation. We have also requested an investigation by the New York State Department of Health Bureau of EMS and Trauma Systems.
Evans said the city would provide updates as more information is gathered.
Warning: Video may be disturbing to some viewers
Video: City of Rochester released video of ambulance response.
Contact Robert Bell at: rlbell@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @byrobbell & Instagram: @byrobbell.
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This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rochester NY ambulance response investigated as man removed later dies
