MIAMI – Disciplinary action will be taken against a firefighter who was behind the wheel of a paramedic truck that collided with a fire truck last August, injuring 12 people near Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami Department of Fire-Rescue officials said Tuesday.
Firefighter Gustavo Alzate, who has worked for the city for 2 years and 4 months, will be suspended in the next couple of days, Assistant Fire Chief Adrian Plasencia said.
In a letter sent to Alzate and obtained by Local 10 News, Chief Maurice L. Kemp informed Alzate that he would be suspended 96 hours, from Jan. 17 to Jan. 28.
The crash was reported on the afternoon of Aug. 11 at Northwest 12th Avenue and Northwest 14th Street, a few blocks west of Jackson Memorial Hospital. The fire truck was on its way to a call when it crashed into an ambulance that was also on a call.
Traffic camera video shows the ambulance running a red light before crashing into the fire truck, which immediately overturned. Both vehicles had their emergency lights and sirens on.
"On Aug. 11, 2015, you engaged in a grossly negligent and unsafe act when you without regard to safety or prudence violated traffic laws by failing to properly yield at a red stop signal and consequently endangered the lives of citizens and firefighters," Kemp said in the letter.
Twelve people were taken to the hospital, including seven firefighters, who were on board both fire-rescue vehicles. A grandmother and two children, who were inside the ambulance, were also taken to the hospital, as were two people in the car.
"I was shocked that there weren't more serious injuries and/or somebody didn't lose their life," Assistant Chief Pete Gomez said.
Gomez said Alzate's suspension is one of the biggest ever in the department's history.