Ambulance driver accused of abandoning patient, said he was ‘done driving for the day’ and called an Uber home

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO/Gray News) — An ambulance driver is accused of abandoning a patient he was transporting to the hospital earlier this week in Ohio.

The incident happened Wednesday evening in Cleveland.

The patient was being transported to the Cleveland Clinic with chest pain when the ambulance driver got lost, told her he was done driving for the day, and called an Uber to take him home.

The driver worked for a private ambulance company, not for Cleveland EMS.

According to Cleveland Association of Rescue Employees (CARE) Local 1975, once the driver left the patient, a Cleveland EMS unit responded to the scene.

The paramedics then administered medical care and brought the woman to the hospital, a CARE spokesperson said in a statement.

“We stand by our EMTs, paramedics and dispatchers who strive to provide the best care to anyone who is in need of it,” the spokesperson added.

WOIO has reached out to the private ambulance company for comment.