A paramedic who killed a junior colleague in a horror smash after co-workers complained of his ‘unsafe’ driving has escaped being struck off.
Edward Riding caused ‘beautiful’ Alice Clark to suffer fatal injuries when he ploughed an ambulance into the rear of a cement lorry after travelling at speeds up to 89mph.
A tribunal found Riding was ‘trusted’ to keep his colleagues safe but his ‘inattention’ coupled with ‘excessive speed’ had tragic consequences for Ms Clark, who had not long joined the ambulance service.
Despite this, the panel said that Riding had not ‘set out to hurt anyone’ and was a ‘good paramedic’ whose conduct was not fundamentally incompatible with remaining on the paramedic register.
For this reason, Riding – who said he wishes he could have taken Ms Clark’s place – has been handed a 12 month suspension by the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service [HCPTS].
A tribunal heard Riding, who is in his 40s, was working as a Registered Paramedic working for South East Coast Ambulance Service.
On January 5 2022, Riding was responding to an emergency call at just after 8pm with Ms Clark – who had joined the trust just weeks before – and another trainee paramedic in the vehicle.
It was heard the blue lights were activated on the ambulance and the vehicle was approaching a junction on the A21 near Tonbridge, Kent, at speeds up to 89mph.
As the ambulance entered a slip road into a layby, it hit the curb before bouncing off a parked lorry and then slamming into the back of the tanker.
The tribunal said the speed at impact was estimated to be 52mph and a previous inquest heard the smash caused the vehicle to become ’embedded’ in the rear of the lorry, which ‘trapped’ both Riding and Ms Clark within the vehicle.
Ms Clark sadly died at the scene and other passengers suffered severe injuries.
Riding was airlifted to hospital and suffered rib fractures, a dislocated left hip, a closed tibia fracture, fractures to his kneecap and had to undergo several corrective operations.
The tribunal said Riding had ‘no memory of the accident’ but pleaded guilty to causing death by driving without due care and attention.
At a hearing in Maidstone Crown Court last year he was sentenced to nine months imprisonment suspended for 18 months, disqualified from driving for 15 months and was ordered to carry out unpaid work.
The HCPTS heard that before the fatal collision there had been ‘concerns raised about the manner of the [Riding’s] driving’.
They referred to a prevention of future deaths report raised by Roger Hatch, Senior Coroner of North West Kent, who made criticisms of the trust.
In the report, he discussed how staff at the ambulance had previously complained about Riding’s driving ‘standards’ but these were ‘not dealt with appropriately’ and if they had been ‘acted upon’ then the ‘outcome’ could have been different.
The HCPTS panel heard that Riding was ‘very remorseful’ for what happened and expressed his ‘regret’ and wish that he could ‘change places’ with Ms Clark.
The panel was told he is ‘constantly aware of the consequences of his actions’ and his character has been ‘forever changed by the events’.
But, the tribunal noted that Riding’s ‘inattention to the signage was not momentary and he was driving at an excessive speed’.
The panel said he was ‘trusted and expected to keep his colleagues safe’ and his ‘inattention and carelessness’ resulted in ‘tragic consequences’ with the death of Ms Clark and serious injury to others.
‘The carelessness was not momentary and involved inattention coupled with excessive speed,’ the panel continued.
‘The Panel reminded itself that it had previously found that [Riding’s] failed in his duty to keep his colleagues and the public safe.’
Despite this, the panel said they ‘did not consider’ his ‘conduct was fundamentally incompatible with remaining on the Register’.
They continued: ‘The Panel noted that there was no element of recklessness or malice, and [Riding] had not deliberately set out to hurt anyone. [Riding] had developed extensive insight and demonstrated remediation and remorse.
‘The Panel therefore concluded that a period of suspension would be sufficient to protect the public and maintain a proper degree of confidence in the profession and the regulatory process, and to declare and maintain proper standards among fellow professionals.
‘The Panel considered that [Riding] had insight and was otherwise a good paramedic, there was a low risk of repetition, and [Riding] considered the public interest would be served by a suspension order.’
Riding, who told the hearing he was ‘not sure that he would even want to drive an ambulance again’, has been suspended for a period of 12 months.
Speaking about their daughter after the accident, Ms Clark’s parents said: ‘Alice was so excited to qualify as a paramedic and looked forward to every shift.
‘She was a beautiful, kind, fun loving daughter, sister and granddaughter. She loved to travel and anyone who met her loved her. She will be missed more than words can say by family and friends.’