Dying child rushed to hospital by ER nurse, police sparks concerns over AMR response time

D’IBERVILLE, Miss. (WLOX) - After a dying child was rushed to the hospital by D’Iberville police, more questions are being raised about AMR response time after city officials say an AMR ambulance was not available to respond.

12-year-old Tristan Smith was critically injured by a Jeep while crossing Lamey Bridge Road on Sunday afternoon. An off-duty emergency room nurse, Frank Duke, was driving with his wife and child through the area when the incident happened.

“I found the situation to be very critical,” Duke said. “Upon arrival of police and fire, we made a decision that it was in the young person’s best interest to get to the hospital as fast as possible.”

Duke helped load Smith into a police patrol car. An EMT-certified firefighter was also in the vehicle as the officer raced them to Merit Health in Biloxi.

The boy died hours later.

“We all tried very hard for a positive outcome,” said Duke. “Unfortunately, the result isn’t something we wanted. But we can all go home and sleep well knowing we did what’s right. It never gets easier. The trauma that first responders have to go through is not something that ends when we clock out. These things stay with us forever. D’Iberville police and fire did not hesitate. I cannot be more proud to call myself a D’Iberville citizen, knowing these guys are there to answer the call.”

WLOX News has been investigating AMR response time in Harrison County. According to documents obtained, AMR did not meet the required response time eight months out of 2022.

D’Iberville’s city manager confirms that since June this year, there have been four incidents where Acadian Ambulance has responded to emergencies in the city because AMR was not available.

AMR has since issued the following statement:

American Medical Response (AMR) was notified of an incident in the City of D’Iberville, MS. AMR immediately dispatched an Advanced Life Support Quick Response Vehicle to the scene. AMR also dispatched the next available Advanced Life Support ambulance, Mississippi Air Rescue-5 air ambulance as well as a neighboring ambulance from Acadian Ambulance for mutual aid. The D’ Iberville Police Department was on scene and opted to transport the patient on an immediate basis and canceled the emergency call.
AMR and Acadian Ambulance have mutual aid agreements in place, which can be enacted during times of emergency call volume surge. This allows both agencies to work together during these times to assist each other and ensure an ambulance arrives to an emergency scene as quickly as possible.
AMR remains committed to utilizing all available resources, to get Advanced Life Support Paramedics and EMTs to the scene of an emergency as quickly as possible.

Over the summer, Biloxi and Gulfport created their own EMS districts after raising issues with AMR response time. Currently, all cities in Harrison County are served by AMR. The contract expires in January 2024.

Biloxi is now accepting proposals from ambulance companies for service. Gulfport is expected to do the same by the end of the year.

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