At the beginning of this week, a news shocked Lyon. two teenagers, a 15-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy, lost their lives after they were riding a scooter together when they hit a private ambulance. bus lane After being arrested, the ambulance driver was charged on Wednesday, August 24, with:manslaughter in apparent intentional breach of the duty of safety or prudence required by law and regulation“The prosecutor’s office of Lyon said.
Indeed, the latter was already known to have committed a number of violations of the Traffic Code. According to RTL, the 36-year-old has already committed 28 traffic violations, which would have resulted in fixed fines, loss of points and license suspension. He then re-sat the test in 2020 and had a valid driving license at the time of the events, albeit with just two points out of eight.
If the investigation continues to find out the exact circumstances of the accident, several questions arise as to what the ambulance could actually do, whether it was allowed to use the bus lane at that time. Was the driver allowed to drive with a probationary license? What are the rules? Le Figaro to mention the point.
What is a private ambulance allowed to do on the road?
First, there are three forms of ambulance: private ambulances (in the case of Lyon), hospital-type public ambulances, and fire engines, which, unlike the first two, which are white, are red. As for private ambulances, they can carry out three types of transport, according to Claude Deles, president of the Federation of Private Ambulances:
- Basic transport that fits, for example, a broken leg or other. An ambulance takes a person in an accident to the hospital. In this particular case, during the trip, it must still respect the classic traffic rules. “The only waiver he can have is that he can use the bus lane like a taxisays Claude Deles.
- The second mode of transportation is for more urgent situations. For example, when a doctor visits a person and decides that that person should be hospitalized urgently. In these cases, the paramedic will be able to use his signal, the bus lane, he will be able to free himself from speeding, but he cannot cross the red light or white line. Everyone, especially law enforcement officers, should make his job easier.
- The last type of transport is Samu’s requested intervention. When an ambulance driver is assigned to an emergency service, he becomes a vehicle.”priority common interest“Like the firemen, the ambulance and the police. Disobedience to traffic rules with respect to lights, stops, crossings, speed limits and lane crossings is then allowed.
In this case, in the case of Lyon, according to witnesses, the ambulance was moving at a very high speed during the tragedy. The police clarified that Samu demanded urgent intervention. According to the president of the Federation of Private Ambulances, the ambulance had to intervene in a person suffering from drug poisoning, which led to coma. An ongoing investigation will determine whether or not the driver sounded the horn to warn of his arrival.
How are paramedics recruited?
Every paramedic should have a degree from a paramedic training institute. A diploma is not required to take the tests, but the candidate must have a driver’s license off probation, a prefectural ambulance driving certificate, a level 2 gesture and emergency training certificate, not a medical certificate. – Contraindications to the emergency profession issued by a certified doctor and a medical certificate of vaccinations, list Onisep.
Once the medical worker’s diploma is in hand, the recruit is registered with the ARS and health insurance. “Many companies provide additional training depending on the specifics“, – notes Claude Deles. In his company 83, paramedics receive additional training with SAMU doctors to care for pregnant women, for example.
However, was the driver eligible for probation?
As explained above, a person on probation cannot drive an ambulance. However, the 36-year-old driver involved in the accident had Why was he driving then?
No light has been shed on this point yet. On the other hand, the man had a probationary license because it was suspended, so he had to retake the test. As a result, his medical record for driving was not affected.
The driver committed many violations, could there have been a check?
In the case of license and private sector offences, companies cannot know the number of points of its drivers. Crimes are notgrounds for dismissal of health workers or breach of contract, and moreover, they are not always known to employers;says Claude Deles. Regarding the case of Lyon, he adds:In terms of organization of the company, I don’t see what we could blame him for.»
On the other hand, some private companies, such as Claude Deles, have ambulances that are geographically equipped. “Therefore, we can monitor the speed of the ambulance in real time or in reverse time“. In addition to this monitoring tool, discussion is also a way to raise awareness of speed;There are always two of them in an ambulance. So in general, they are told that they are both responsible and will take responsibility if something happens.Then they should encourage each other not to make mistakes.
Source: Le Figaro
