Ambulance Driver Leaves Chest-Pain Patient, Calls Uber Home

A private ambulance driver in Cleveland left a patient with chest pain in the vehicle Wednesday evening after he got lost en route to the Cleveland Clinic, then told her he was done driving for the day and ordered an Uber to take himself home.

The driver worked for a private ambulance company, not Cleveland EMS. According to CARE Local 1975, a Cleveland Association of Rescue Employees affiliate, once he departed, a Cleveland EMS unit arrived at the scene. CARE said its paramedics provided medical care and transported 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."

A spokesperson for the private ambulance company said in a statement to WOIO that it took immediate steps once it learned of the situation and that the patient's well-being and care needs were addressed. The statement said the company is continuing to review the circumstances and will act based on those findings, but declined to discuss further because the matter involves personnel and patient issues.

The incident took place Wednesday evening in Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland EMS crews responded to the location after the driver left the vehicle.