Post by engine922 on Jul 19, 2007 7:25:07 GMT -5
Courtesy of Neschannel 3:
NEAR COMSTOCK (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – The crash happened Tuesday in Kalamazoo County. In the accident, emergency trainer Paul Dickens died.
Dickens worked with emergency response personnel across West Michigan. "He was probably the most dedicated person to emergency medical services that I've met," said one person who knew him.
While heading down I-94 Tuesday night, a tire cam off an Iowa man's truck. It flew down the highway, hitting the truck driven by Dickens, who lived in Hillsdale. His truck went out of control and ran into a car driven by a Battle Creek woman.
The Battle Creek woman and Iowa man were treated and released, but Dickens died at the scene.
The Sheriff's Department says at 70 miles an hour, that tire became a missile.
A Reading emergency sticker, an EMS license plate and a teaching manual were on the front seat. Now they are just mementos of a life that ended early.
"I think everyone's still in shock, it's really hard to believe," said Becki Russon of Pride Care.
Paul Dickens responded to so many traffic crashes as a paramedic. Tuesday evening he became the victim of one.
The tire launched from another SUV on Interstate 94 crushed him.
"Everyone kept saying, Paul Dickens was their EMT instructor, Paul Dickens was their paramedic instructor," said Russon.
Russon was one of many who shared their memories of Dickens. He grew up in Kalamazoo, joined Kellogg Ambulance in the mid-1970’s, then Mall City.
"What came to light was the kind of legacy that he left behind, he trained hundreds if not thousands of people to be EMT’s and paramedics," said Russon.
Jari Pulford knew Dickens from his years at SWM Systems. He approved EMS education courses for the state across 25 counties.
"Besides his children, EMS was his top priority, when he wasn't working, he was volunteering," said Pulford.
Dickens was currently working for an ambulance unit in Hillsdale County. He was in Kalamazoo Tuesday teaching at Borgess Medical Center.
Personal Note: He was a FF for Kalamazoo Twp FD for a few years.
NEAR COMSTOCK (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – The crash happened Tuesday in Kalamazoo County. In the accident, emergency trainer Paul Dickens died.
Dickens worked with emergency response personnel across West Michigan. "He was probably the most dedicated person to emergency medical services that I've met," said one person who knew him.
While heading down I-94 Tuesday night, a tire cam off an Iowa man's truck. It flew down the highway, hitting the truck driven by Dickens, who lived in Hillsdale. His truck went out of control and ran into a car driven by a Battle Creek woman.
The Battle Creek woman and Iowa man were treated and released, but Dickens died at the scene.
The Sheriff's Department says at 70 miles an hour, that tire became a missile.
A Reading emergency sticker, an EMS license plate and a teaching manual were on the front seat. Now they are just mementos of a life that ended early.
"I think everyone's still in shock, it's really hard to believe," said Becki Russon of Pride Care.
Paul Dickens responded to so many traffic crashes as a paramedic. Tuesday evening he became the victim of one.
The tire launched from another SUV on Interstate 94 crushed him.
"Everyone kept saying, Paul Dickens was their EMT instructor, Paul Dickens was their paramedic instructor," said Russon.
Russon was one of many who shared their memories of Dickens. He grew up in Kalamazoo, joined Kellogg Ambulance in the mid-1970’s, then Mall City.
"What came to light was the kind of legacy that he left behind, he trained hundreds if not thousands of people to be EMT’s and paramedics," said Russon.
Jari Pulford knew Dickens from his years at SWM Systems. He approved EMS education courses for the state across 25 counties.
"Besides his children, EMS was his top priority, when he wasn't working, he was volunteering," said Pulford.
Dickens was currently working for an ambulance unit in Hillsdale County. He was in Kalamazoo Tuesday teaching at Borgess Medical Center.
Personal Note: He was a FF for Kalamazoo Twp FD for a few years.