i wanted to do something last night on shift...

Last night I worked the rescue truck, and I wanted to run a simple medical call, or vehicle accident, something since my shift has been (no pun intended) dead for the past several weeks. I just didn't think this is what I'd be doing.

Private plane crash kills 2
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
By KEITH CLINES Times Staff Writer kclines(at)htimes.com
Storm approaching crash area about the time of takeoff

Two people were killed Tuesday night when their private airplane crashed in a swampy area shortly after takeoff from Huntsville International Airport.

Officials at a 9:30 p.m. news conference said they could not release the names of the victims because relatives had not been contacted.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were contacted Tuesday night and investigators were expected to be on the scene this morning to investigate the crash.

The six-seat, single-engine Cessna took off from the west runway of the airport shortly before 6:30 p.m., said airport spokeswoman Cindy Maloney... (read the rest here)

I will not complain about slow nights...
I will not complain about slow nights...
I will not complain about slow nights...

Especially considering our truck didn't clear up the scene until 0100. At least I didn't have to go swimming in swamp-water and aviation fuel, then go through the decontamination procedures. Ick. Or worry about what kind of unfriendly critters were in the swamp. Yes, they were unfriendly enough to warrant shots fired from PD at the site. Our rescue truck staged on a road, about 350 yards from the crash site, where my partner and I could see it, when we heard the shots fired. Crash Investigators/Rescuers 1, Critters 0.

Oh, yeah. Forgot to mention that shift started at 1800, and we got our first page out shortly after for a wreck with possible entrapment. We were cancelled since nobody was entrapped, so the ambulance could handle the injured patient and headed back to the station. We were nearly back at the station when we were sent on another wreck with possible entrapment. Once again, no entrapment, we were cancelled. Once again, almost back at the station, when we were dispatched to the airplane crash. This was at about 1835. Damn long night.

I know I'm not providing as much detail as you, my beloved readers, would like. Due to such things as Ongoing Federal Investigation and Patient/Family Privacy, I'm not going to provide much, if any, more detail on this incident today. Didn't think about that, did you? That's the nature of EMS, we can't always discuss freely what we do. I'll tell as much of the story as I can, when I can.

Update, 11:21 - Apparently this is a newsworthy item across the Southeast region.

Two killed in Huntsville plane crash - Times Daily, AL
Huntsville plane crash leaves two dead - WHNT, AL
Small-plane crash kills 2 - The Decatur Daily, AL
Two killed in Huntsville plane crash - Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, GA
Breaking News Small Plane Crash - Team Amber Alert News, TX