By Kathleen E. Carey
Daily Times
UPLAND, Pa. 鈥� June 1 started out as a regular day for Jen McFalls Smith, who had no idea that it would end with having her head smashed into an ambulance floor and being throttled by a man high on PCP.
鈥淚鈥檝e been bitten. I鈥檝e been punched. I鈥檝e been kicked,鈥� the Crozer Health emergency medical technician said. 鈥淲hen I was pregnant with my son, a man rammed his motorized wheelchair into the stretcher, trying to knock me over and it went into my stomach.鈥�
Even with all of that, McFalls Smith, 31, said of the early June incident, 鈥淭his was the worst one.鈥�
According to the Journal of Emergency Medical Services, EMTs and paramedics have a rate of workplace violence that is six times higher than the rate for all workers in the United States.
In a 2020 study they conducted, they found that EMTs and paramedics have a rate of violent injury of 37.8 per 10,000 workers. In the same study, firefighters faced a rate of 5 incidents per 10,000 workers. Only registered nurses came second with a rate of 23 violent injury incidents per 10,000 workers.
Those statistics became personal for McFalls Smith and her partner, Ronald 鈥淭im鈥� Trout after responding to a call for an unresponsive person in the Drexeline Shopping Center parking lot.
She and Trout were working out of the Secane unit in Upper Darby that Saturday when the call came.
Trout, the ambulance driver, said when they arrived at the scene at the Drexeline Shopping Center, the man was shirtless next to his vehicle.
鈥淗e was awoken by the paramedic who arrived before us and admitted to ingesting PCP on his break,鈥� Trout said. 鈥淗e was cool, calm and collected, (answering), 鈥榊es, sir,鈥� 鈥楴o, sir.鈥� 鈥�
That changed within two miles on their way to Lankenau Hospital.
鈥淚 was getting another blood pressure,鈥� McFalls Smith said. 鈥淲hile I was taking it, I noticed that he just stopped talking and then his eyes glazed over 鈥� a deer-in-the-headlights look. I took the blood pressure cuff off and said, 鈥極k, it鈥檚 all done. We鈥檙e going to have a nice easy ride to the hospital鈥� and that鈥檚 when it changed.
鈥淗e grabbed my knee and then grabbed my wrist and then it just went wild after that,鈥� McFalls Smith said. 鈥淗e grabbed my hair and pulled it down. The back of my head got slammed on the floor of the ambulance and I was stuck between the stretcher and the bench seat.鈥�
She said the man then began to strangle her with both of his hands.
鈥淚 was yelling for (Trout), I was screaming as this was happening,鈥� McFalls Smith said. 鈥淗e put it in park. He came around the side door and intervened. Thank God he was there. He saved my life.鈥�
Trout gave his perspective of the incident.
鈥淲e were at the stop light at State (Road) and Lansdowne (Avenue) and my partner, Jen, was in the back and I heard her call the patient鈥檚 name numerous times,鈥� he said, adding that in their line of work if the first responder is doing that, that means the patient is either unconscious or ignoring their directions.
鈥淎fter the third time, I heard a blood-curling scream I only heard in movies,鈥� Trout said. 鈥淲hen I heard that initial scream, my stomach dropped.鈥�
鈥淚 ran into the back and jumped on top of him so she could get free,鈥� Trout said. 鈥淚 jumped out the back of the truck ... We fell out of the ambulance. I hopped on the radio and called for assistance.鈥�
McFalls Smith continued about the rescue.
鈥淗e had to pull me out by my shirt,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e shut the doors of the ambulance and we made sure he couldn鈥檛 get out.鈥�
After police were summoned, they themselves sought medical treatment.
鈥淧CP gives you extreme strength,鈥� McFalls Smith said. 鈥淲e both went and got treated. I had a concussion. I had bruises on both of my arms. I had neck pain and upper back and right shoulder pain. When I got home that night, there were more bruises on my legs.鈥�
鈥淚 haven鈥檛 been on an ambulance since then,鈥� she said.
The fallout
Born and raised in Delaware County, McFalls Smith started her career as a volunteer firefighter at 15 years old with the Collingdale Fire Company. When she turned 16, she started riding on the ambulances. She joined the Crozer Health unit in 2019.
She shared what it鈥檚 been like for her since the attack.
鈥淚鈥檝e had nightmares, panic attacks,鈥� McFalls Smith said. 鈥淚 go to physical therapy now. I鈥檓 also seeing a psychiatrist.鈥�
She also suffers from the effects of PTSD. She said she can鈥檛 sleep and she鈥檚 afraid to be alone.
鈥淧hysically, for a while afterward, I couldn鈥檛 pick up my kids because it was painful,鈥� the married mother of two said. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 been wanting to go and take them to a park. I鈥檝e had trouble. I didn鈥檛 want to leave my house unless I was forced to.鈥�
She was grateful for the show of support from her co-workers, who attended the preliminary hearing with her.
鈥淢y co-workers have been great and so has the chief of the department, my boss that I interact with every day,鈥� McFalls Smith said. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 heard anything from risk management or corporate or hospital administration. They haven鈥檛 even offered any legal help through this. They haven鈥檛 offered anything.鈥�
She鈥檚 doing the best she can to move on with life.
鈥淚 go to school at night three times a week for paramedic school and trying to fit in my kids鈥� doctor鈥檚 visits,鈥� McFalls Smith said. Her 2 1/2-year-old is severely autistic with severe hypotonia and a neurogenetic disorder and needs home therapy three times a week.
鈥淢y mom is a huge help with child care,鈥� McFalls Smith said. 鈥淩ight before the incident, she got diagnosed with breast cancer. Three days after her surgery, the incident happened and she was recovering at my house.鈥�
In addition, a few days before the attack she and her family were at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania to take her 32-year-old cousin off life support, which the cousin had been one because of cardiomyopathy.
鈥淚t has not been easy,鈥� McFalls Smith said.
And, then, there鈥檚 the practical matters, too.
鈥淭he one thing that bugged me the most: my glasses got destroyed during the incident,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat was my last pair. The lenses I was able to salvage. The frames got destroyed.鈥�
Trout said he missed two days because of the incident and has been on full duty since then.
鈥楽he鈥檚 not alone鈥�
However, the five-year Crozer Health employee, he said, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the first time anything like that happened to me. Things have happened to other providers. It is overwhelming but we just learn to adapt and overcome and work with what we have.鈥�
He said it has caused him to have second thoughts about his line of work.
One thing is important to him and his fellow paramedic/EMT co-workers, 鈥淲e鈥檙e always checking up on ( McFalls Smith ) to let her know she鈥檚 not alone and we鈥檙e there for her,鈥� he said.
Trout also spoke to their working conditions.
鈥淥ur office, so to speak, is an ambulance,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e in ambulances with well over 300,000 miles with no working air conditioning. In order to get things fixed, our vendors want payment upfront.鈥�
In addition, he said new hires don鈥檛 even have uniforms and constantly go without bulletproof vests, something the Crozer Health paramedic teams need.
鈥淲e always have to keep our safety in mind because we go into very dangerous situations,鈥� Kate Denney, president of the 132-member Crozer Chester Paramedics Association, said. 鈥淲e have to wear bulletproof vests because we deal with a lot of shootings in the city.鈥�
Denney, who attended the preliminary hearing with McFalls Smith and Trout, said the union is behind them.
鈥淲e support them 100%,鈥� she said. 鈥淧hysically, emotionally it is very tolling on them.鈥�
Crozer Health responds
Denney reiterated Trout鈥檚 concerns about members not having bulletproof vests and ambulances with hundreds of thousands of miles that constantly need to be maintained.
鈥淪ometimes, supplies aren鈥檛 even paid for,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ecause they are in the midst of selling the hospital, Prospect (Medical Holdings, Crozer Health鈥檚 parent company) is not paying their bills as they should. The morale in general is very, very poor among the people in Prospect. We don鈥檛 feel like we鈥檙e being taken seriously. If we don鈥檛 have the tools in the toolbox to serve the community, then the community suffers.鈥�
鈥淲e are spread very, very thin,鈥� Denney said. 鈥淲e are working on bare bones. We love what we do, we just need support.鈥�
Crozer Health Chief Executive Officer Anthony Esposito issued a statement regarding this incident and claims. It reads:
鈥淲e condemn the assault on two of our valued EMS employees in the strongest possible terms. It is especially concerning that they were faced with a situation like this while selflessly serving our community. Our most important priority right now is making sure that these employees are being taken care of and provided with the resources they need to help them recover.
鈥淓MS Chief Bruce Egan has been involved from the outset and is committed to ensuring that all of our staff are on full alert for potential hazards while continuing to perform the critical, often lifesaving work they do every day on behalf of our community.
鈥淐rozer Health鈥檚 focus is on delivering quality, compassionate patient care as well as safe working conditions for our employees. Our leadership team is working collaboratively with PASNAP leadership and frontline EMTs and paramedics to resolve any issues with staffing, safety gear, and vehicles. We will continue to partner with them on solutions to better serve our patients and our employees.鈥�
鈥榊ou called us鈥�
As a result of the incident, Robert L. Hines, 45, of Upper Darby, has been charged with aggravated assault, strangulation, resisting arrest and related charges.
At a June 20 preliminary hearing packed with the co-workers of McFalls Smith and Trout, Hines was held for court in Delaware County Court of Common Pleas. Bail was set at $45,000.
No attorney was listed for Hines and a public defender had not been requested.
In the meantime, these first responders hope the community can better understand their work and take the situation seriously.
鈥淏ear with us,鈥� Trout said. 鈥淥ur uniforms look like police officers鈥�. We鈥檙e not the enemy. You called us. We didn鈥檛 ask to be here.鈥�
McFalls Smith said she hopes victims鈥� experiences are weighed as much as those dealing with substance abuse disorders.
鈥淰iolence against any branch of emergency services can鈥檛 be tolerated anymore,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t shouldn鈥檛 be excused just because someone decided to do PCP. This can鈥檛 be tolerated anymore.鈥�
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