Oregon cyclist billed by ambulance that hit him sues for £771k
In the American state of Oregon, an ambulance collided with a cyclist, after which the emergency services billed the victim for transport to the hospital. The victim is now seeking compensation.
The accident, as reported by the portal oregonlive.com, occurred in October 2022. Seventy-one-year-old William Hoesch was cycling through Rainier in Columbia County, Oregon, when an ambulance returning from a call suddenly struck him.
According to police reports, the ambulance driver was travelling in the same direction as the cyclist and was turning right at the intersection. As a result of the collision, the elderly man sustained facial injuries, among others.
Paramedics from Columbia River Fire & Rescue did not call another team to the scene and instead transported the injured cyclist themselves to the nearest hospital. They subsequently issued the man with a bill amounting to 1,862 US dollars, which is equivalent to over £1,440, for the ambulance ride.
Now, as reported by overseas media, the victim from two years ago is seeking compensation from the emergency services, amounting to 997,000 US dollars (converted to over £771,000). A lawsuit has already been filed in court concerning this matter.
Columbia River Fire & Rescue declined to comment to local media. Meanwhile, the portal oregonlive.com notes that this is not the first accident in Oregon involving an ambulance.
A month ago, the family of a 25-year-old woman who died in a car accident in January this year filed a lawsuit against the station. The collision occurred when the ambulance was turning left at an intersection. In July, the local police announced that an ambulance had hit a car with a damaged tyre parked on the roadside. The 55-year-old driver of the car, who was standing next to the vehicle, died at the scene.
