Family of man killed in ambulance crash asks, ‘How could this happen?’

SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — The family of a Fairburn man killed when the ambulance transporting him from a medical appointment crashed say they are angry and grieving.

Police say Wilton Thomason, 66, was not strapped in when the ambulance ran off the road and overturned Friday night.

The driver, Kevin McCorvey, 34, was arrested for DUI following the crash.

Police say McCorvey admitted to drinking and smoking pot prior to the crash. The victim’s children were stunned to learn what happened in a call from the medical examiner.

“You’re arresting someone for DUI who was operating an ambulance in a roll over accident that killed my dad? It’s hard to understand how this happened,” Terrance Thomason said.

The elder Thomason was being transported home following a dialysis treatment.

His children said that he had recovered from prior heart attacks, pneumonia and COVID-19, but lost his life during a short ambulance ride.

“I was hysterical. Negligence just adds a whole different layer of emotion that wasn’t there before, when you thought it was just an accident,” daugther Traci Thomason said.

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Police say the ambulance driver failed a field sobriety test and that they found an open can of beer in the ambulance.

They also say the driver attempted to leave the scene in an Uber after the crash but was stopped.

The victim’s family has hired a law firm to sue the driver and the EMS company where he is employed.

“This is a horrific tragedy that could have easily been prevented. Ambulance drivers have the lives of the most vulnerable people in their hands. If we can’t feel safe in an ambulance, where can you feel safe?” said attorney Stephen Fowler.

“The question that comes to mind, how was this ever permitted to happen?” said attorney Andrew Echols.

The victim’s children said their father had a passion for cooking and spending time with them and his grandchildren.

“I’m just devastated that he won’t be able to share any of those moment with us. I mean we were just making Thanksgiving plans and how to include my dad,” Traci Thomason said.

The ambulance driver faces several charges including second degree vehicular homicide and DUI. A second worker in the ambulance was not charged.

The private ambulance company that the driver works for has not responded to requests for a comment on the deadly crash.

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