Campbell County VA ambulance driver still on the job after causing fatal crash www.privateofficer.com
Lynchburg VA May 13 2012 The ambulance crew member charged in the fatal crash that killed a Lynchburg man last week is still employed by Campbell County, officials said.
Justin Kidd, 25, of Rustburg, was driving an ambulance as a paid staff member of the Campbell County Rescue Squad when Lynchburg Police said he ran a light at the intersection of Campbell and Florida avenues on May 3.
The ambulance hit a pickup truck in the intersection. The truck’s driver, Dean Anders, 69, a retired Lynchburg firefighter, died at the scene of the crash.
Kidd has been charged with reckless driving, a class 1 misdemeanor.
Campbell County Public Information Officer Sherry Harding said she could not comment on Justin Kidd’s employment status Thursday except to say he remains a county employee.
In a search warrant filed in Campbell County the day of the crash, Lynchburg Police Officer Ronnie Sitler requested the Electronic Restraint Control Module from the Ford F-350 ambulance Kidd was driving.
The equipment would show data such as the speed the ambulance was traveling before the crash, whether seatbelts were in use, brake application and airbag deployment.
Lynchburg Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael Doucette said Thursday, as the evidence has been presented so far, there’s not sufficient cause to charge Kidd with anything beyond reckless driving.
The Code of Virginia defines reckless driving as driving “recklessly or at a speed or in a manner so as to endanger the life, limb, or property of any person …”
County officials released Thursday the requirements for driving county vehicles, which include:
—4 or fewer demerit points issued by Virginia’s Department Motor Vehicles;
–No DWI/DUI convictions within the past two years;
–At least two years of continuous valid licensing; and
–An overall pattern of safe vehicle operation and driving habits.
Paid emergency vehicle operators must have a valid, class 3 or higher, Emergency Vehicle Operator Certification (EVOC) from the Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads or Virginia Department of Fire Programs.
