In the minutes after Saturday morning's ambulance crash, firefighters and police officers who knew Private Timothy McCormick realized they would never work with him again.
McCormick and Paramedic Cody Medley had just left Methodist Hospital when their ambulance was hit by a car that ran a red light, according to police. The impact tipped the ambulance over and pushed it into parked cars. The impact killed McCormick. Medley died Sunday after spending a day on life support.
By midafternoon, flowers had been placed at the accident scene. Friends of McCormick braved the cold for a few minutes of reflection.
Tim McCormick had not been in Indianapolis long, but had no trouble making friends. While attending IUPUI, he started his career with the ambulance service.
It may be hard for many of us to understand why so many police, firefighters and EMS employees drove by the place where one of their own passed away. But it is in a place like this, the scene of a crash, that brought them together in the first place.
"Everyone in this room has someone in their family, everyone has that one individual that you rely upon when times are tough and for firefighters and police officers they always rely on EMS," stated Public Safety Director Troy Riggs.
Police say the driver of the car that hit McCormick and Medley's ambulance was 21-year-old Jade Hammer. She moved to Indianapolis just a couple of weeks ago. One of the responding officers said he smelled alcohol on her after the crash.
Hammer was taken to the hospital for a blood test and has been released. Police are still investigating the accident and are waiting for the results of the blood test.
