Caught on video: Saginaw, MI EMT put on leave after parking lot tussle with bystander at sick call.
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It’s quite clear in this article published last week by MLive.com that we are only hearing the story of the man on the bottom in the video above and the video itself doesn’t show what lead up to an EMT with Mobile Medical Response of Saginaw, Michigan pinning Family Dollar employee Gregory Barnett to the ground. But the video of the October 22 incident, which was posted to Facebook, has promped an investigation and the the unidentified EMT being put on administrative leave
“MMR is taking this incident very seriously as we expect our staff to act professionally and respectful at all times,” said Lynn Schutter, director of community relations for Saginaw-based Mobile Medical Response.
Schutter said an MMR crew had responded to a call to assist an unknown, unconscious person in the parking lot at Family Dollar, 1908 S. Michigan in Saginaw. Police had not yet arrived on the scene.
Barnett, a Family Dollar cashier, said was trying to direct traffic in the parking lot as paramedic workers were there.
Barnett said he heard someone from MMR say something to him, but he was focused on the traffic and wasn’t paying attention.
“The second time, he said, ‘You’re in my (expletive) space,’ so I turned around and asked him, ‘What’s up?’” Barnett said. “He came at me and bumped into me, so I pushed him, and then he threw me to the ground.”
“I think anyone who looks at that video is going to be concerned,” says Dr. Noel Wagner of the Saginaw Valley Medical Control.
Mobile Medical Response has suspended the employee while it investigates what happened.
Also investigating is the Saginaw Medical Control Authority, which oversees emergency responders in the county.
Noel Wagner says the first thing he wanted to know was if the person who need medical help got it.
“In this incident, we went back to see if the patient on this call got good care, and we are satisfied they received good care,” Wagner says.
Wagner says he will do more investigating if the MMR employee keeps his job.
“If we are ever presented with this provider wanting to provide medical care in the county in the future, we will have to look at that more closely and see if we are comfortable with that,” Wagner said.
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