Mourners Pack Church, Streets for Funeral of FDNY Medic Struck by Ambulance

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of mourners packed a Bronx church Saturday and filled the streets outside for the funeral of an emergency worker who was struck by her own ambulance and killed after the vehicle was stolen. Yadira Arroyo, a 14-year veteran of the New York Fire Department and a mother of five sons, was responding with another emergency medical technician to a routine call Thursday when they were flagged down by a pedestrian about a theft, authorities say. Arroyo got out of the vehicle and a man darted into the driver's seat and ran over her, officials say. Hundreds of uniformed firefighters fill the street as an ambulance carrying the body of fallen New York Fire Department Emergency Medical Technician Yadira Arroyo proceeds toward St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church in the Bronx borough of New York, Saturday, March 25, 2017. Arroyo died in the line of duty on Thursday, March 16, 2017 when she tried to stop a man from stealing her ambulance and was pulled beneath the vehicle's wheels. (Michael Appleton/New York City Mayor's Office via AP) EMTs from around the city Saturday joined thousands of bystanders lining the streets to honor her. A large screen television was installed outside the church to broadcast the ceremony for those who couldn't fit inside. Arroyo, 44, was beloved by colleagues at her station house and in her Bronx community. Her colleagues described her as a dedicated EMT who responded to calls even during asthma attacks and as a mother figure to her co-...
Source: JEMS Operations - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: News Operations Source Type: news