A 24-year-old Alberta woman is facing charges of impaired driving after a call came into Vegreville RCMP that an ambulance was going the wrong way in the westbound lanes on Highway 16.
When RCMP pulled the ambulance over, officers discovered an elderly patient in the back who was being transported, along with another male paramedic.
The incident happened on Jan. 2, just after 9 p.m. near Ranfurly, a community about 130 kilometres east of Edmonton.
RCMP arrested and charged the paramedic with impaired driving of a motor vehicle and impaired driving of a motor vehicle over .08.
Medavie Health Services West oversees three western EMS companies in Alberta, and is contracted by Alberta Health Services.
The company told Global News through an email that “an employee is currently on leave pending an investigation. As the matter is before the courts we are unable to provide any further information.”
AHS said in an email it is aware of an on-duty impaired driving case involving an employee of a contracted service provider.
“AHS EMS would like to express support for the patient involved and their family. AHS absolutely does not condone any of the actions in this cases.”
The driver of the ambulance has been released on an appearance notice and is scheduled to appear in a Vegreville courtroom March 22.