Man sues first responders after being hit by ambulance, charged $3300 for ride to hospital

A man is suing a first responders after an ambulance slammed into him while on his bike, breaking his nose and smashing his bicycle, before billing him nearly US$2000 ($3300) for the trip to hospital.

Oregon man William Hoesch, 71, claimed in a lawsuit he suffered permanent injuries and roughly US$100,000 ($169,000) in medical expenses on top of the near US$2000 ride to hospital following the incident where he was hit by an ambulance.

In the lawsuit against Columbia River Fire & Rescue, the 71-year-old claims he was pedalling through the town of Rainier in October 2022 when the ambulance ploughed into him while the driver was making a right turn.

He claims he was crushed under the wheel of the ambulance. According to police reports the driver and passenger in the ambulance claim the vehicle was going between 3km/h and 16km/h.

A cyclist is suing Columbia River Fire & Rescue after alleging an ambulance ran him over.

The crash left him covered in blood, and resulted in prolonged injuries including “pain, stiffness, tenderness, discomfort, impaired range of motion, and reduced grip”, the suit states.

To add insult to his numerous injuries, Hoesch’s day got worse when he was handed a bill for the ambulance ride to hospital.

According to the lawsuit, Hoesch is seeking roughly US$997,000 in compensation for pain and suffering along with the payment for medical bills.

So far he has accumulated US$47,000 in medical expenses with a further US$50,000 in expected costs following his visits to hospital, local news outlet OregonLive reported.

Columbia River Fire & Rescue has yet to respond for comment to local media outlets.

It’s not the first time first responders have been sued.

In October, the family of 25-year-old Kelsey Seibel sued the South Lincoln Ambulance and Yachats Rural Fire Protection District claiming one of their ambulances made a left turn in front of Seibel’s car, killing her in January.