The Washington times., 1938-08-03

~~O HBN HA~~
Ambulance 35 Minutes
In Arriving; Lad Dies
While q 14-year-old boy-th0
Districts fifty-fourth traffic IA
tality of the year-lay cold In
death today, a hurricane of pro.
tests swept through Washington
over a 35-minute delay in getting
an ambulance to aid the lad.
Knocked from his homemade
wagon while coasting at Twentieth
Street and Belmont Road North,
west, at 4:30 p. m. yesterday, fol.
lowing a crash with a truck; the
boy-WinSlow Minor Coles, col.
ored, of 1922 T st. N. W.-waS
sprawled unconscious in the street.
FRANTIC CALLS FUTILE
While the youngsters blood
flowed freely, residents of the
fashionable neighborhood made
frantic and repeated calls for an
ambulance. The ambulance ar
rived IS minutes after the acct.
dent and the boy died an hour
after his delayed arrival at Enp
eregncy Hospital.
Most of the protests were df.
rected against the hospital. There
B. B. Sandidge, superintendent,
defended the actions of his am,
bulance crew. He said:
Il don't think it could have
been avoided. Considering the
heavy traffic at the time, I
think the ambulance crew
acted speedily in getting the
boy to the hospital.
COULDN'T BE SAVED
doctors at the hospital
agreed it would have made no
difference If the ambulance had
been on the scene at the time
of the accident, as the boys
life could not have been saved"
Sandidge explained the ambu.
lance lett the hospital at 4:4O
p. MO minutes after the crash
occurred-and went to 921 Sixth
st. N. w., where a person knocked
unconscious by bottle was
treated. He said no calls from
the Belmont Road section were
received prior to the time the am.
bulance went on this call.
The ambulance got the call via
police radio at 4:49 p. m. to 20
to the Belmont Road accident, he
said.
The crew brought the person
injured on Sixth Street to the hos.
pital, left Immediately at sos D.
m. for Belmont Road and had the
injured boy back to the hospital
at $40. Sandidge said the hos
pital has a reserve ambulance, but
no regular staff is maintained for
this and he saw no reason why he
should have been pressed in serv.
ice yesterday.
Mrs. Edward Pilson, Of 2O03 Bel
mont Rd. N. w., said she was In
her house when the crash occurred
and almost Immediately went to
the telephone, requesting an am.
bulance.
AID SOUGHT ELSEWHERE
Il was told at Emergency Hos.
pital," she said that the ambu-
lance was out and was con-
nected by them with Casualty
Hospital. 1t was then about
4:4O O'Clock. Casualty Hospital
said they did not answer calls
for this neighborhood, but when
I explained about the other
ambulance being out, I was told
they would see what they could
do.
"At 4:45 p. m. I made another
attempt to get an ambulance.
I don't know what hospital I
was connected with, but was
told the ambulance was out. I
asked If there was only one
ambulance in the city of Wash
ington. I was told I would
have to take that up with the
city of Washington.
Another resident who made an
attempt to get an ambulance was
Mrs. David Bowie Wills, wife Of
an Army officer. Of 1859 Ashmead
Pl. N. w. She said:
Il had several calls made for
an ambulance. It took about
35 or 40 minutes for one to get
to the scene. A number Of other
persons and myself volunteered
our private cars to take the poor
boy to the hospital, but the
policemen wouldn't let us do
this. They said he couldn't be
touched"
(See cartoon ON Editorial Page)