HSE fined €500k for fatal fall from ambulance

The HSE has been fined €500,000 for health and safety breaches which led to the death of a paramedic who fell out of a moving ambulance.

The breaches revolved around the presence of “suicide doors” on the side of the ambulance. These are doors with hinges at the rear, meaning they can get caught in the slipstream if opened while the ambulance is moving.

Paramedic and father of six Simon Sexton, 43, was killed in Jun 2010 when he was wrenched out of the moving ambulance by the door as a patient was being transferred from Cavan to Dublin.