Unattended, Unreported Rollover Crash Ties Up Emergency Workers

Local First Responders Find Two-Day Old Unreported Crash: No Injures--Sheriff Asks For Notification From Public In Similar Future Incidents

A first responder investigates the scene of an abandoned accident.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
Local first responders rushed to the scene of a reported rollover crash this morning on Noah Bledsoe Road which included multiple agencies and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment; however, it was soon discovered that the crash occurred two days ago with no injuries and the vehicle was left there, unreported and unattended.

A passerby noticed the vehicle this morning as he was taking a morning walk. The vehicle had traveled down a 50ft embankment and had come to rest on its side, straddling a small creek. The passerby quickly called 911 and reported a rollover crash and local dispatch paged emergency workers to the scene, which according to radio traffic, was described as a rollover accident with unknown entrapment and unknown injuries.

An abandoned overturned vehicle on Noah Bledsoe Road.

Emergency personnel hiked down the embankment to find that the vehicle was abandoned. Sheriff Shane Doyle was able to locate the owner of the vehicle, who lived nearby, and he said the owner said the crash happened a couple days before. Since there were no injuries and no accident report was necessary, the owner said no one called it in, according to Doyle.

The Sheriff said he understands that most see emergency services as agencies that are simply ready to do their jobs whenever needed to wherever they are called; however, in situations where they are not needed, it causes several problems elsewhere.

"This morning's rollover accident on Bledsoe Road is a perfect example of how law enforcement, fire departments, and EMS services all work together to handle emergencies in our county," he said.  "However, in this particular incident, because of the unknown nature of the wreck, dispatch sent everyone available to the scene to deal with the accident.  A partial list of responders include the sheriff, a constable, an ambulance, and several fire department vehicles (both department owned and personally owned).  The volunteer firefighters that responded either had to leave work or leave their families to assist, with no compensation for what they do.  All it would have taken was a phone call from the owner or driver of the vehicle to let us know that no one was injured and arrangements were being made to retrieve the van and it would have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment usage and manpower. "

Doyle said he's not speaking out about the inconvenience of responding to an unnecessary call, but rather how it takes emergency services away from a potential life-threatening situation somewhere else at the same time.

"Unfortunately, these types of situations happen far more often than you would think," he continued. " I believe I speak for all first responders when I say we are all happy to assist in any way possible when someone needs help, but when we are wasteful and inefficient with our resources, it hurts the whole county.  When a law enforcement officer is tied up on something unnecessary, that officer could be out patrolling, serving papers, or investigating a crime.  When an ambulance has responded to something that isn't needed, it impedes their ability to make it to the next emergency.  The same goes for the volunteers and constable.  Please, notify dispatch of any situation that could cause public concern so we can know what we are dealing with, and properly utilize our skills and training in what is best for all of our residents."

The names of the owner and driver were not released, due to no violation being reported or no accident report being filed.