Tenn. Paramedic Killed in Crash Honored at Funeral

JACKSON, Tenn. (JACKSON SUN) -- It takes a special heart to serve in Emergency Medical Services, and Zachary Quinn Pruitt had a heart for service, according to the hundreds gathered for his funeral Wednesday afternoon.   Pruitt, 36, lost his life on Friday in an ambulance crash while helping transport a patient to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. At his service, family, friends and co-workers said Pruitt died doing what he loved — helping people. Medical Center EMS Operations Manager Paul Spencer was one of Pruitt's supervisors and said he was a hard worker with a big heart. "He was just a very determined young man," Spencer said. "He loved his work, and I'm finding that out more from family how much he truly did love his work. That's our God-given call, to just do what we love, and he loved caring for people."   Hundreds of Emergency Medical Service workers — from firefighters to paramedics to policemen and other first responders — filled the pews of Englewood Baptist Church alongside Pruitt's family. Dozens of ambulances and emergency service vehicles from counties near and far filled the church parking lot, ready to accompany Pruitt's body on the journey to his final resting place at Highland Memorial Gardens.
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: News News Videos Operations Source Type: news