02-04-2025
Pensacola family lost loved one and feels precious moments were lost
PENSACOLA, Fla. (WKRG) — An ambulance arrived on Craft Street, left and returned minutes later. By then, it was too late for the man who died of a heart attack Monday. His family believes it could have been prevented.
However, Escambia County EMS officials said that's not the full story.
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Michael Clements and his stepfather, Phillip Odom, were cleaning up a downed tree that fell onto their yard from Sunday's storms.
Clements told that he and his stepfather were loading the back of a lawnmower with cut wood.
'He got on the lawnmower; I turned around to go back to cut the trees,' Clements said. 'And when I did, I heard him.'
'I'll never, I'll never, I'll never, forget the sound,' he continued.
He said that Odom made an 'oh' sound and fell face first into the gravel driveway.
That's when Clements said he frantically asked his next-door neighbor, Greta Murphy, to call for help.
'I run in to get my phone, and I call 911,' Murphy said. 'And I said, 'It's serious, and he could be dead, please hurry.''
Escambia County EMS got the call at 12:31 p.m. about Odom's fall and was dispatched.
'And I'm basically in front of them, telling him, come on, come on, right here, right here,' Clements said regarding what he did when the ambulance came six minutes later in front of their home.
However, Clements and Murphy said the ambulance drove off.
Davis Wood with Escambia County EMS released a statement to News 5, explaining why the crew left:
'Upon arriving on scene, there were individuals shouting obscenities and acting in an aggressive manner, which made the crew concerned for their safety. Following standard protocol, EMS notified law enforcement and left the scene until it could be deemed safe.
At approximately 12:41 p.m., dispatch received two additional calls stating that the individual from the initial call was no longer breathing. The Escambia County Sheriff's Office and Escambia County Fire Rescue responded, and EMS returned to the scene shortly after to provide care.'
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Phillip Odom passed away at 77 years old. He was a Vietnam Purple Heart veteran who loved his family dearly.
'I have to think every day now that maybe I'm the reason he died,' Clements said. 'Because if I wasn't standing out here, and they didn't profile me, maybe they would have stopped and got out the truck and helped him.'
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