home
Man Sent Bill After Father Dies, A Washington D.C. man says he's outraged after he received a $780.85 bill for an ambulance he called for his dad, who died waiting for the emergency vehicle to arrive.
"I feel angry. Upset," Durand Ford, Jr. told a local NBC affiliate. "I'm disturbed that we even received this bill."
Ford and his family called 911 at 1:25 a.m. on New Year's Day after his 71-year-old father, Duran Ford, Sr., complained of shortness of breath.
A fire truck showed up at their home in southwest D.C. nine minutes later; but no ambulances were available.
Records show that the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Service Department waited until 1:47 a.m. to call a nearby county for assistance.
The Prince George County's ambulance arrived at the Ford home at 1:58 a.m. Ford, Sr., however, had already passed away.
"We're still grieving about the situation," Ford, Jr. said. "[We're] very angry about what happened and the service we did not receive from the district."
D.C. Councilwoman Yvette Alexander, who represents the ward the Fords live in, said that D.C. Fire & EMS has not billed families "in similar circumstances."
"This seems quite unusual, and I will help the family resolve this matter," she told NBC 4.
D.C. Fire & EMS did not immediately return the Daily News' request for comment. The bill was just another reminder of the painful loss of Ford, Sr. Now the family must decide whether to pay the bill or fight the charges. While the family has not said what it intends to do, others have offered their own opinions and advice about the situation.
"I feel angry. Upset," Durand Ford, Jr. told a local NBC affiliate. "I'm disturbed that we even received this bill."
Ford and his family called 911 at 1:25 a.m. on New Year's Day after his 71-year-old father, Duran Ford, Sr., complained of shortness of breath.
A fire truck showed up at their home in southwest D.C. nine minutes later; but no ambulances were available.
Records show that the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Service Department waited until 1:47 a.m. to call a nearby county for assistance.
The Prince George County's ambulance arrived at the Ford home at 1:58 a.m. Ford, Sr., however, had already passed away.
"We're still grieving about the situation," Ford, Jr. said. "[We're] very angry about what happened and the service we did not receive from the district."
D.C. Councilwoman Yvette Alexander, who represents the ward the Fords live in, said that D.C. Fire & EMS has not billed families "in similar circumstances."
"This seems quite unusual, and I will help the family resolve this matter," she told NBC 4.
D.C. Fire & EMS did not immediately return the Daily News' request for comment. The bill was just another reminder of the painful loss of Ford, Sr. Now the family must decide whether to pay the bill or fight the charges. While the family has not said what it intends to do, others have offered their own opinions and advice about the situation.
Home
