Partner Describes Kentucky EMT as 'Loopy' Prior to Crash

Posted: Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Updated: July 8th, 2008 05:26 PM EDT
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Partner Describes Kentucky EMT as 'Loopy' Prior to Crash






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Story by wlky.com

LOUISVILLE, Ky. --

The partner of a Louisville Metro EMS worker involved in a deadly wreck this past April described her as "loopy" and said she should not have been driving the ambulance.

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Target 32 has learned a Jefferson County grand jury is investigating whether Tammy Brewer should face criminal charges.

"It's been like a nightmare," said Maggie Whobrey, the victim's daughter. "My mom's all I had. It's been rough."

Whobrey's mother, Vickie, was killed in April after the ambulance driven by Brewer crashed while taking her to the hospital.

"I want someone to be held accountable for their actions on my mom passing away," Whobrey said. "She shouldn't have died like that."

Records show that Brewer's partner, Greg Gavin, sent several text messages to another ambulance crew telling them to alert supervisors about Brewer's behavior prior to the crash.

In a statement, Gavin told investigators, "When we're on scene, I realized Tammy should have called in sick..."

Other documents showed that 19 hours before the crash, Gavin noticed Brewer "was not able to drive straight" and that he "made her stop to switch places."

Documents show Brewer told investigators a family friend had given her two headache pills prior to work and that she noted she didn't think they were narcotics because they "didn't give her a buzz like narcotics normally do to her."

Brewer told police she swerved to avoid hitting a child. Last April, witness Tammy Pablo told Target 32 there was never a child and that Brewer was all over the road seconds before the crash.

"It swerved from our lane to the other lane, back to our lane and it wasn't just a little bit of a swerve to the line, they were swerving all the way over to the other lane," Pablo said.

"That hurts right there, knowing it could have been prevented that night," said Whobrey. "I think someone else should have been driving then instead of letting her get back behind the wheelÂ… I'm out for justice for my mother. She was someone very special."

Shively police haven't released results of toxicology tests taken on Brewer after the crash.

A Metro government representative told us Brewer is on desk duty and not allowed to drive an ambulance during the investigation.

Brewer declined to comment when we called her at home.


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Comments

Posted by jack baker ems white knights in toronto ems retd. 30yrs. service
(07/02/08 - 08:08 PM)
driving when possibly impared
In 30 years I only had to book off once because the person I was assigned to was impared.Her partner should have called for another unit to transport,and let management deal with the employee. He would have saved everyone including the driver a lot of greif.





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