Patient Escapes Ambulance While Being Transported to Cooperstown Hospital

A Cooperstown Christmas Day escape! Man escapes from the ambulance that was taking him to the hospital.

It is a pretty solid assumption, if you are laying on a stretcher while being transported to hospital in an ambulance, you are in need of medical attention. A team of doctors and nurses are most likely waiting for your arrival so they can care for you. Escaping that ambulance may also be an indication that you need medical help.

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On Thursday December 25th, Christmas Day, at approximately 6:20pm, the Otsego County Sheriff’s Office called Forest Ranger Laymon for assistance in the search for a patient who jumped out of an ambulance.

The ambulance was transporting the 47-year-old Unadilla resident from A.O. Fox Hospital in Oneonta, NY to Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown, NY. when the patient escaped from the medical vehicle.

Ambulance personnel pursued the patient but lost sight near Walnut Street and Linden Avenue in Cooperstown. Ranger Laymon assisted deputies in that area. At 9pm, Ranger France joined the search in a wooded area and at 10:20 p.m., three more Rangers joined the search along railroad tracks.

At 11:20pm, a civilian notified Ranger Laymon that someone was pounding on the front door of a house on Linden Avenue. Ranger Laymon and two deputies searched that area. Deputy Benora found the patient sitting at the bus stop shelter and drove the patient to the hospital.

Generally speaking, a patient has the right to refuse medical care unless you have a life-threatening condition. Should you choose to escape or resist paramedics, you could face charges for obstructing.