Harris, NY – A woman who apparently had some second thoughts about her trip to the hospital decided to leave – by taking the ambulance that brought her there, police say.
New York State Police said the Liberty Volunteer Ambulance Corps picked up Tammy Diescher, 46, about 11:30 a.m. Monday at her home in Livingston Manor and brought her to Catskill Regional Medical Center in Harris.
Police said Diescher had been processed into the emergency department, issued a hospital bracelet and had put on a hospital gown. Just before noon, impatient, she walked outside, jumped in the Liberty ambulance which had been parked unattended with the engine running, and drove away.
As she exited the hospital, police said, she passed an inbound Mobilemedic ambulance. The Mobilemedic crew realized she wasn’t an EMT – possibly because of the hospital gown – and alerted the Liberty EMTs, who called 911 to report the theft.
State Trooper Anthony Gower stopped the ambulance Diescher was driving about 5 miles away on Old Route 17 in Ferndale. Police said she was taken into custody without incident, and was returned to the hospital where she was admitted for a mental health evaluation.
Police said the ambulance was undamaged, nothing was missing from it and it was returned to the ambulance corps.
Diescher was charged with felony criminal possession of stolen property.
(Source: Times Herald Record)
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8 Responses
I now the hospital very well, and to be honest if I was admitted there I would do the same thing. You can wait a full day just to be seen when you go to the emergency room there. I once needed to see a doctor ( nothing to serious, but I needed to see a doctor as soon as possible) and hatzolah in the catskills sent me back home to see a doctor rather than to take me to harris.
maybe after she saw the bill she thought she must have bought the whole ambulance…
As a former volunteer with a Sullivan County volunteer ambulance corps…
Why were the keys left in the running ambulance?
Not SOP w/my corps and not legal in NY state to leave an unattended vehicle w/engine running.
Lo sitain michsholl livnei ever or in this case an EDP.
Pookie, I agree…
At least she didn’t show up to a call & try to assist!
Maybe this woman is suffering from psychosis and imagines herself to be a Hatzoloh man.
ah awesome only at Harris. but truth be told why on earth did they leave the ambulance running
#1, that is very feasible. She may have learned of a long wait while watching hospital staff talk about incidental things and take their time. The ambulance personnel probably said she had to stay because they wanted to relax for a while too. If something like that is the case, the charges should be dropped. She is taxpayer plus moneys given to ambulance corps include donations. The donors would not want someone to wait all day and be told by the volunteer driver that they have to stay there.
If you think its bad now, wait until Obamacare (hopefully doesnt) pass. Have a stomach ache, or need a blood transfusion? Prepare to spend lots of time in a hospital.