A South Australian paramedic accused of causing the death of a patient he was transporting to hospital fell asleep while driving the ambulance, causing the vehicle to roll, a jury heard
Matthew James McLean, 42, is on trial charged with death for reckless driving after Karen Biddell, 48, suffered fatal chest injuries in the August 2016 crash on Port Wakefield Road
The court heard that the bariatric patient was being transported from her home in Port Pirie to the Royal Adelaide Hospital for treatment there when the accident occurred
M McLean has pleaded not guilty to causing Ms Biddell’s death and injuring her daughter in the same crash
In the opening speech, the prosecution told the South Australian District Court that Mr. McLean had worked 11 shifts in the 12 days before the crash after volunteering to work overtime and was suffering from fatigue
Mark Norman SC has stated that M McLean had told a number of people at the scene after the crash that he fell asleep
« He said that before the accident he had stopped for coffee, in his own words, to continue, » he says
« Driving a five ton ambulance in the dark on a highway at a speed of about 95 kilometers an hour when you are so tired that you cannot stay awake – it is dangerous in law, c ‘is dangerous as a matter of common sense, regardless of who you are and whatever your reason for doing it «
M Norman told the jury that the morbidly obese patient suffered from cellulitis and had severe leg ulcers requiring hospital treatment
A bariatric ambulance to transfer Ms Biddell left Adelaide just after 6:00 p.m. on the night of the accident
But the prosecution said that when the ambulance driven by Mr. McLean arrived at Port Pirie, there had been a delay in getting her out of the house due to her size
« She couldn’t walk properly without assistance, she needed a specially adapted wheelchair to get her out of the house, » said M Norman
« The problem getting her out of the house on that chair through the door at the same time meant the fire department had to be called, they had to remove a piece of that door and remove a piece of the wall to get her out «
M Norman said that due to the delay the ambulance did not leave for Adelaide until after midnight
Defense of M McLean argued that he was not tired and the reason he fell asleep while driving and crashed near Virginia was that he had sleep apnea without knowing it
His lawyer Stephen Apps said the paramedic has since been diagnosed with the sleep disorder
« M McLean suffered from sleep apnea at the time of the crash and it caused him to fall asleep suddenly and without warning, « he said
« For a moment he was driving an ambulance and the next thing he knew the accident had happened he didn’t know how, he wasn’t aware of it
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AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time, which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)
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News from the world – UA – Ambulance patient killed because paramedic fell asleep while driving, said the jury
