A Washington D.C. man whose father died while he waited for an ambulance to help treat him is incredulous that the service is still charging him $781. Durant Ford Jr. said his 71-year-old father Durand Sr. had trouble breathing on New Year's Day, so he made a 911 call at 1:25, but by the time the ambulance arrived at 1:58, his father died, and News4NBC Washington reports.
"Outrageous," screamed a New York Daily News headline.
Ford Sr. died 13 days short of his 72nd birthday, according to his obituary in the Washington Post. He was an Air Force veteran and worked as an "advisory neighborhood commissioner" in D.C.'s Ward 7. A current Ward 7 representative, D.C. Councilwoman Yvette Alexander, told NBC that D.C. Fire & EMS had not charged in the past for its services in similar situations. "We're very angry about what happened and the service we did not receive from the district," Ford, Jr. said. Yvette Alexander, a D.C. councilwoman, said she is working with the family to get the bill resolved, the station reports
Washington D.C. Fire and EMS also came under fire in August for allegedly delaying the transport of a 93-year-old woman with a head injury, according to Fox News. . The District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Service Department declined comment.
