HUNT COUNTY, Texas — A UT Health East Texas paramedic was killed and another was injured in a two-vehicle accident Wednesday night.
According to UTHET, both were on duty when they were involved in a wreck with an 18-wheeler, around 7 p.m. on Highway 69 N., near Greenville.
The Texas Department of Public Safety says David Eads, 42, of Frankston was driving an ambulance when it collided a semi, driven by Jorge Vazquez, as he was backing out of a private driveway.
Vazquez was given a citation for backing up without safety.
Eads was killed as a result of the crash. James Malone, 40, another paramedic who was a passenger in the ambulance, was flown to a Tyler hospital with serious injuries. He is stable at this point.
"We are devastated by the loss of UT Health East Texas EMS Paramedic David Eads," UT Health wrote in a statement. "David served others through his skills as a dedicated paramedic for over 24 years, touching countless lives."
Eads joined UT Health East Texas EMS in December 2020 and served in Smith County as a lead paramedic.
“David was the kind of medic who had the perfect balance of competency and compassion,” said Dr. Yagnesh Desai, UT Health East Texas EMS Medical Director. “He was a medic who cared for the whole person, not just the immediate medical need.”
Recently, Eads could be seen working standby at high school football games, where he posed for pictures with the players, fans and mascots.
“David was the kind of person that made you feel better simply by being around him,” said John Smith, CEO of UT Health East Texas EMS. “He had a way of making those around him better because of his huge heart for EMS and concern over his patients. This tragic loss is felt across our entire organization. The unit designation 809 will be retired and removed from service in his honor."
DPS Sgt. Kyle Bradford spoke on having to respond to calls when the victims are fellow first responders.
“I mean, any type of situation like that, obviously, it's gonna be horrific," said Sgt. Bradford. "Especially when we're dealing with our first responders. So that in itself, I think was alarming enough."
DPS says the investigation is ongoing with additional charges still pending.
